50,000 monkeys to be sterilised in HP

Shimla, Aug 14 (UNI) To check monkey menace in the state, Himachal Pradesh Government has planned to sterilise 50,000 monkeys this year.

''Monkey menace is causing inconvenience to public and state government is aware of the problem. The government is taking effective steps to check the scourge and has devised a plan to sterilise 50,000 monkeys through three monkey sterilisation centres during the year,'' Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said while addressing a state level review meeting of the Forest Department here today.

He said 2131 monkeys have been sterilised till date and added that as per the latest survey there were about 2 lakh monkeys, which would be sterilised within three years.

Mr Dhumal said two more sterilisation centres at Hamirpur and Gopalpur would be made functional soon by deputing doctors and setting up necessary infrastructure for the purpose.

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