Kathmandu. Pauwadungma Rural Municipality in Bhojpur district has decided to sterilize monkeys in a bid to control monkey menace. The rural municipality, in coordination with the federal government, has decided to sterilize the monkeys at a time when the federal government is preparing work procedure to control monkeys.

The 19th session of the rural municipality assembly that kicked off on Tuesday included a plan to conduct study, research and sterilization programme for the fiscal year 2083÷84, said chairperson Kiran Rai.

“Monkey farmers have become a complex problem”, Rai said, adding, “We are preparing to run sterilization programme to control monkeys”. Our goal is to run the program in coordination with the federal government. ”

According to the rural municipality, the rural municipality aims to find a long-term solution by controlling the fertility rate of monkeys. For this, technical human resources will be mobilized, necessary equipment management and collaboration will be made with the concerned bodies. According to the rural municipality, this would help in reducing human-wildlife conflict.

Jyotsna Rai, vice-chairperson of the rural municipality, said that the monkey population in the district has started causing irreparable damage to the crops.

The number of monkeys has been increasing rapidly in various wards of the rural municipality in recent period. Monkeys have been damaging crops like maize, millet, potato and others. For this, the rural municipality has also allocated a budget of five hundred thousand rupees for research and study in the first phase.