No monkey business! Langur cutouts guard metro stations in Bahadurgarh

In an interesting move to tackle the growing monkey menace in the area, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has installed langur cutouts at metro stations in Bahadurgarh town of the district.

These cutouts are intended to scare away monkeys — who are scared of langurs.A DMRC official said the primary reason for monkeys frequenting metro station premises was locals and commuters feeding them, often driven by religious beliefs.

“The number of monkeys increases significantly on Tuesdays, as many devotees offer bananas and other food items, considering the simians to be part of Lord Hanuman’s sena (army),” he added.The official said, despite repeated appeals by the DMRC urging passengers not to feed monkeys and the installation of warning signboards at some stations, the practice continues unabated.

This had made it difficult to prevent simians from entering the premises, the official added.Another official said while monkeys generally did not harm passengers, they could damage metro property — particularly electronic items — when agitated.

“To address this, langur cutouts have been installed to discourage their presence,” he added.The monkey menace is not confined to metro stations. Markets and residential areas in Bahadurgarh town have also been affected by it.

A few months ago, the Bahadurgarh Municipal Council issued a tender to capture and relocate monkeys to forested areas. Though an MC official claimed that over 450 monkeys had been caught and released so far, the issue still persists.The official added that the municipal body had held a meeting with local DMRC officials recently, urging them to strictly enforce the ban on feeding monkeys at metro stations.

“Monkeys tend to stay where food is easily available,” he said.A senior DMRC official confirmed that langur cutouts had been placed at several stations, including in Bahadurgarh, on the Green Line to deter monkeys from entering station premises and disrupting services. “This initiative aims to ensure passenger safety and smooth metro operations,” he added.