In Himachal, why monkeys are no one's business!

In the fight between the Himachal Pradesh government and farmers, it's the marauding monkeys who are benefitting, literally!

The government wants the farmers to fire the bullet to kill the crop invaders. The farmers say this is no monkey business and want the government to do its bit to save them from damages.

The reason behind the reluctance of the farmers and the government is not hard to comprehend.

The monkey is considered holy in India and has a special place in the hearts of the people with temples in the state dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman.

With the mass surgical sterilisation of monkeys or rhesus macaque has been undergoing since 2007, the state believes their select killing on the demand of the farmer lobbies will somehow help pacifying their anger over the vast crop depredation.

Now again a notification for the killing of monkeys in the private areas, fourth in a series since 2017, has been issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

The one-year permission, granted on the request of the state government, is applicable in 91 tehsils without facing penalties. It is not applicable in government and forest areas.

The monkeys, which are protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife

( With inputs from IANS )