KHAMMAM: Women of Dummagudem mandal these days don’t come out of their houses after 7 am. This, not because of social taboo or some restrictions imposed on them, but a horde of rogue monkeys!
Roaming in troops, these monkeys are attacking people and damaging crops causing huge loss to farmers in the district. According to sources, in the last three weeks over 200 persons were bitten by monkeys and of them 50 are from Narasapuram village. This has triggered panic among the villagers. The farmers have stopped cultivating vegetable crops, as they are under constant fear that the Simian creatures will damage them.
Expressing his woes, B Laxminarayana Reddy, a farmer said, “Earlier, I would grow vegetables and villagers would buy it from me. Now, as monkeys are damaging the crop I stopped cultivating them and I buy vegetables from a nearby market.” Meanwhile, there is a rise in number of people visiting the Narasapuram government hospital for treatment related to monkey bites.
Sunkari Swarna Kumari, who was bitten by monkeys twice, said, “The monkeys have attacked me on my face and I had to get 25 stitches.” Despite repeated pleas to the district administration to take action against monkey menace, the villagers say nothing has been done so far. They now urge the state government to take immediate action and come to their rescue.