The Forest Department officials stepped up efforts to catch monkeys after a seven-year-old boy died couple of days ago.
The boy, Abhishek, and was being treated in a private hospital at Solapur.
Nearly 30 staff members from the Forest Department and the professional monkey catchers have started operation in Jewargi Colony, Navani Layout, P&T Layout, Karuneshwar Nagar, Sai Nagar and few other localities on the Ring Road in search of the elusive monkeys which have gone on a biting spree in the past 15 days.
The boy, Abhishek, resident of the Karuneshwar Nagar was the only son of a widowed mother. He was attacked by the monkeys when he was playing outside his house a week ago. He suffered several bites from the group of monkeys and was first rushed to the Dhanvantri Hospital. Abhishek was later shifted to Basaveshwar Hospital. When the boy did not respond to the treatment of the doctors here, he was shifted to a private hospital in Solapur city in Maharashtra where he died.
A group of forest officials led by the Conservator of forest K. Radhadevi were greeted with angry protests by the residents of these colonies who accused the department of doing nothing to end the menace of the monkeys in their colonies. They demanded the department to compensate the death of the boy and also ensure treatment to those who have been bitten by the monkeys.
Ms. Radhadevi told the residents that the department would deploy more personnel and professional monkey catchers to ensure that all the monkeys are caught and either released in the forests or kept in the zoo. She also announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to the family of Abhishek and reimburse medical expenses up to Rs 20,000 to those who have been bitten by the monkeys.
The residents said that the government general hospital did not have the stock of the antidote for the monkey bite. Antidotes are expensive in private hospitals and nursing homes. They wanted authorities to keep enough stock of the antidote for the monkey bite in the government hospital.
The forest department officials, who had caught four adult monkeys in different localities a week ago, caught two more monkeys on Sunday. “We have sought the assistance of the professional monkey catchers from neighbouring districts of Bidar and Yadgir”.
According to the residents of these colonies more than 15 persons, mostly adults have suffered monkey bites in the past 15 days.
