This is no monkey business

Thu, May 8 12:45 AM

CHARBAGH HAD two unique visitors on Tuesday. Udham Singh and Mangal Singh, known for successfully chasing away simians from the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the PMO, were here to rid the junction of the monkey menace.

Soon after their arrival, the duo was on a mission. Running around, baring their teeth and flogging their tails, they took people by surprise.

But no one was complaining. Udham and Mangal (oh yes, they are langurs!) did a good job.

Monkeys started vanishing as soon as the two stepped on platform number one of Charbagh station. Station manager Amitabh Kumar said a formal pact between the langur owner Fareed and the railway authorities is still to be inked and added as soon as the proposal is cleared, at least one langur would become a permanent feature at the station.

"The monkey menace at the station had become a big problem for passengers as well as staff and it was increasing. From snatching edibles from passengers to damaging railway property and ransacking the railway storehouse, monkeys had made life hell for everyone," Kumar said.

Fareed, the langur-wala, came with Udham and Mangal for a demo in front of the railway authorities. As the two langurs started proving their utility, the railway top brass at the station heaved a sigh of relief.

For Fareed, it isn't something new. He told the Hindustan Times, "We have already done it at several places across the country and this includes the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the PMO.

" He said, "We have got about 20 to 25 trained langurs who are rushed anywhere across the country on demand." Fareed charges Rs 7,786 per month for providing the novel service.

He said, "We often get calls from colonies hit by the monkey menace. Our service comes for a price but then we provide a solution to a problem that is otherwise is difficult to fix.

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