Monkey menace: Cause of concern during Donald Trump’s trip to Agra
Monkey menace at Taj Mahal could spoil US President Trump’s trip as there have been several incidents of monkeys and other stray animals’ attacks on numerous domestic and foreign tourists till date. All the efforts made by the local CISF unit and ASI staff to control the monkeys have gone in vain.
FollowNew Delhi: Fresh coats of paint, potholes covered with dry tar, uniformly coloured shop hoardings, newly dug pavements and broad roads await US President Donald Trump on his scheduled maiden visit to the Taj Mahal on February 24.
Trump is likely to stay at Oberoi Amarvilas Hotel while visiting the Taj and attending a cultural programme.
Agra will be under a security lockdown when United States President Donald Trump arrives in the city. Nobody will be allowed to venture out of their homes on the route that Donald Trump would take from the Agra airport to the Taj Mahal.
According to reports, even mobile communication is expected to be interrupted along the route during Donald Trump's stay in Agra. However, this security lockdown does not apply to the hundreds of monkeys living in and around the Taj Mahal.
The monkeys and other stray animals have attacked numerous domestic and foreign tourists till date inside the Taj Mahal. All the efforts made by the local CISF unit and ASI staff, to control the monkeys, have gone in vain.
Meanwhile, officials at the Taj Mahal said that monkey menace has come down in and around the heritage site.
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The Indian Express quoted Basant Swarnkar, senior ASI official at the Taj, saying, “There is not a lot of problem with monkeys now. There has not been an incident (monkey attack) in the last few months…there is nothing to fear.”
The Agra Municipal Corporation officials, they expressed the complete ignorance of the measures being taken to control the monkeys from entering the Taj Mahal premises. They also claimed that measures are being taken in this connection.
However, ADG Anand Singh said it is up to the municipal corporation to tackle the monkey menace further during President Trump’s visit as they have made all arrangements.
