Monkey menace sparks panic in Ganderbal village

Ganderbal, July 31: Residents of Ganie Mohallah in Fraw Haknar Gund area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district are living under constant fear due to an increasing monkey menace that is damaging crops and threatening the safety of the locals for the years in the area.According to residents, a group of monkeys has taken shelter in the overgrown bushes and trees inside the premises of the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation (JKPDC) quarters in the area. They allege that despite repeated appeals to the concerned departments to trim the branches of the trees and remove the monkeys, no action has been taken so far.”We have approached both wings of the JKPDC here, but there has been no response. We also raised the issue with the Wildlife Department, but again, there has been no action,” said a local resident.The villagers say that not only are their standing crops destroyed every year by the monkeys, but the frequent sightings of the animals have also created an atmosphere of fear among school-going children and the general population.We want the branches inside the JKPDC quarters to be cut so that the monkeys stop using the area as shelter,” another resident added.Reiterating their demand, the locals have once again urged both the JKPDC and the Wildlife Department to take immediate steps to mitigate the issue and ensure the safety and well-being of the villagers.Meanwhile, officials from the concerned department have assured that the matter will be looked into.