AGARTALA, November 11 (TIWN): Hundreds of villagers in the Samaprasad area near bypass and its adjoining areas have been passing sleepless nights chasing herds of monkeys which have been destroying their paddy crops and dwellings.

Samaprasad area and its adjoining areas have been badly affected by monkeys herds over the years that have been coming down the Samaprasad area to the paddy fields every day destroying the paddy fields of the villagers and creating panic among them.

Hard working villagers who basically depend upon agriculture, have been living in the area with no security as the department concerned has no policy to check the problem.

Nitai Ghosh a resident of Samaprasad area said that, I have a plot of paddy on a 12 bigha plot and the cruel herd of the monkeys has already wiped out most of my paddy during the last few days. From my house, I watched helplessly as I failed to chase the herd away from paddy field and it also did not pay any heed to my shouting from the house. I have seen that the herd never pays heed to our cries and shouts but goes out of the fields only after the stomach is filled or the hunger is removed. Every year we have to give most our produce to the monkeys. We have no other options for survival except paddy and half of my paddy crop is destroyed by monkeys every year, Nitai Ghosh said.  

Nitai Ghosh added that the people living in the Samaprasad area and its adjoining areas have got tired losing their crops to the herds of monkeys every year and majority of villagers have abandoned doing paddy cultivation in their fertile lands and now those plots are miserably becoming a grazing spot.

Several times we have gone to the forest department officials regarding the issue, but till now no action has been taken by the forest department, Nitai said.