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Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to explain the measures taken to address the growing monkey menace in rural areas.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara issued this directive while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) based on a letter from M Mallanna, president of the Telangana Rythu Samasyala Sadhana Samithi.
The letter highlighted the severe impact of the monkey population, estimated at 3 crores, on villagers and farmers, including mental distress, financial losses, and crop destruction.
Mallanna alleged that despite assurances from a former chief minister to implement permanent solutions, no concrete action has been taken.
He detailed incidents of monkeys entering homes, damaging property, and attacking people, as well as the destruction of thousands of acres of crops like vegetables, maize, and groundnuts. Farmers have reportedly shifted to less vulnerable crops due to repeated losses.
The government pleader argued that a similar PIL had been filed earlier with a counter-affidavit submitted.
The court instructed the registry to attach this PIL to the previous one and directed the state to file its response within four weeks. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on a later date.
This post was last modified on March 4, 2025 9:01 am