Monkeys cause panic in Taj city, tourism industry seeks action

The tourism industry in Agra has demanded immediate steps to contain simian menace around historical buildings in the Taj city, after a series of incidents of monkey attacks on visitors.

A fortnight ago, a monkey had snatched a 12-day-old infant from the lap of his mother and killed the baby. In a similar incident, an old woman was attacked by an army of simians when she was returning home after answering nature's call.

Both the incidents have created a shock wave in the city, leading to demonstrations by agitated locals.

Divisional Commissioner Anil Kumar said he held several rounds of meetings but the result remains zero as government agencies indulge in passing the buck.

An official said the district administration neither has the expertise nor the funds to deal with thousands of rampaging monkeys.

"Also, even if we manage to capture some, where shall we house them or leave them. Provision of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 leave no room for any drastic measures against monkeys".

Tourism industry leaders have called for prompt measures to insulate the Taj Mahal from monkeys.

"Tourists feel insecure and restrict their movements fearing attacks from stray animals. So many cases of bag snatching and monkey bites have been reported that a sense of fear grips the visitors when they arrive here," Sandeep Arora, a hotelier here, said.