india

Updated: Jan 25, 2019 09:50 IST

Beside the modern arms they possess, the jawans of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) are now to be equipped with ‘gulel’ (slingshot) to meet out the growing monkey menace at monument of love – Taj Mahal. The jawans at eastern and western gate beside other high value location are equipped by these slingshots.

The monkey menace has been found growing at Taj Mahal and a foreign lady tourist was injured in such attack by monkeys last year. Time and again, these monkeys were causing inconvenience for visitors beside causing damage to structure of monument.

‘The decision was taken to find a practical solution and providing ‘gulel’ to jawans of CISF located at gates and high value location where foreigners are frequent. Amused by monkeys, these foreigners click their photograph and invite trouble’ stated a CISF official.

‘The goods included edibles carried by tourists are deposited at gates on eastern and western side and monkeys concentrate here to take them away. Initially about a dozen of CISF jawan are provided with these slingshots and stationed at location like one towards mosque and Dusshera ghat in Taj Mahal where from they move in group’ he stated while talking about the new experiment.

Boards are being placed on premises of Taj asking tourists to keep distance from monkeys and avoid feeding them. Yet need was felt for such step at Taj Mahal.

Munawwar Ali, who has a shop at western gate of Taj, feels that step was a good one to have slingshot equipped CISF personnel.

‘It is right move but delayed one because many of the tourists have faced the inconvenience already’ stated Ali.

Rakesh Chauhan, the president of Hotel and Restaurant Association however advocates concrete measures for checking monkey menace.

‘These short term amateur measures are not in tune with monument like Taj. These monkeys should be trapped and sterilization should be undertaken to check their growth instead of such measures’ opined Chauhan.