(IN) Monkey catching in Delhi

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Monkey catchers back in business

 

*Neelam Pandey | New Delhi*

 

Monkey catching has again become a lucrative business, with those who had

left it earlier coming back. Forty-year-old Dilip Khan, owner of a paan shop

has been visiting Town Hall quite for the past 10 days to submit his

application in the Veterinary Department of the Municipal Corporation of

Delhi (MCD). Khan used to catch the monkeys as a private business and had

left it for quite some time. He now wants to work as a MCD contractor to

earn some extra bucks.

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" I used to catch monkeys from residential areas after getting a call from

the local people. Though I used to be paid for the job but it is nothing

compared to what the civic body is planning to pay. Hence I immediately got

in touch with the veterinary department " , added Khan.

 

Khan, who is fondly called '*bandar-wala*' by the people of his area, Rana

Pratap Bagh has submitted his application at the MCD office and is certain

of getting selected. " I have a lot of experience in the field and as the

Corporation is short of monkey catchers I'm sure they will consider my

case " , he added.

 

Khan along with a team of four members, which include his son, niece and

nephews, says he will try to catch as much monkeys as possible in a short

period of time. His son Saafir Ali is also involved in the same business and

is employed by the people to scare away the monkeys with the help of a

langoor. " My son uses the langoor to scare the monkeys from the residential

areas. But it is more of a temporary work as he doesn't get many calls

considering the fact that not many people know him. Once we are hired by the

Corporation we will both work together " , said Khan.

 

Late on Saturday night another team of monkey catchers came down to the

Capital from Assam to put an end to the monkey menace. " We have received

Khan's application and have forwarded it to the competent authority to take

action. Two other teams of monkey catchers have also come down from Assam

and will be put to work soon " , said RBS Tyagi, Director Veterinary Services,

MCD. Khan who works for a BJP councillor Raj Khurana had asked him to get in

touch with the veterinary department of the Corporation after reading media

reports that the MCD was looking for monkey catchers.

 

The civic body is desperately looking for monkey catchers and has sent a

team of officials to Tamil Nadu and Assam to find more monkey-catchers. Till

date the body has a total of five monkey catchers, which is grossly

inadequate for the whole Capital.

 

 

 

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