DERGAON, Oct 5 - The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Golaghat has come forward to reduce the prevailing, rather burgeoning, man-animal conflict and advocated sterilisation for reducing the ever-growing monkey menace in Golaghat district of Upper Assam.
Addressing a protest rally organised at Dergaon Police Station under the aegis of Dergaon Missamara Unnayan Samiti to register protest against the monkey menace in greater Dergaon area, DFO Jayashree Naiding assured the residents to take some practical steps to reduce the simian menace.
The DFO assured the villagers that the Forest Department will take appropriate measures to control the population of monkeys in the area. The DFO revealed that she would forward a proposal of sterilisation of the rapidly-increasing monkey population to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) for permission etc.
The DFO also assured the protesters that anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) would be made available in all the primary health centres (PHCs). The protesters were also addressed by the Dergaon Circle Officer Homen Gohain Baruah.
It may be pertinent to mention here that a leading organisation working for environmental conservation titled, AASHRAY organised a State-level convention. Based on the resolutions adopted at the convention, they forwarded their demand to take sterilisation and translocation as remedies to the monkey menace in the area.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, DFO Jayashree Naiding said, taking a leaf out of the Himachal Pradesh experience on sterilisation may help to contain the simian menace. �As the menace is becoming serious, so ARV will be made available in all the PHCs. I will forward my proposal to the PCCF (Wildlife) for consideration,� the DFO added.
The depredation caused by monkeys has in recent times become a serious threat to the residents of Missamara, Dergaon and Negheriting in Golaghat district. Talking to this Correspondent, the president of AASHRAY Biren Chandra Saikia said that they had welcomed the decision of the DFO. Due to rapid urbanisation and largescale deforestation, the monkey menace in Golaghat district has refused to lessen in magnitude. Lack of shelter and food material has compelled the monkeys to change their food habits and behaviour too. At present the situation is so pitiable in Golaghat district that humans are often attacked by monkeys sans any external provocation.
Not surprisingly rather, around 5,000 monkeys are seen roaming the aforementioned areas on a daily basis. Obviously, agricultural production in the areas have had to take a severe beating.
