The authorities are prepared at every level to ensure that the G20 Summit progresses smoothly and the foreign visitors face no hiccups, including from monkeys.
Many cut-outs of langurs have been put up in several areas of Lutyens’ Delhi, which houses top hotels where the G20 leaders will be staying.
Langurs are commonly used to deter monkeys. They were also used as deterrent to monkeys during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The forest area across the ITC Maurya and Taj Palace (at Sardar Patel Marg) is heavily populated by monkeys. These two hotels will host the American and Chinese delegations.
Besides the cut-outs, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has also deployed four personnel with wands to keep the simians away. NDMC has also stationed 40 people trained in mimicking monkey sounds.
“The langur cut-outs have been effective. The monkeys are wary and are avoiding coming to this side,” said an army man, who was on duty just beside a cut-out.
The forest area across the hotels, known as the Delhi Earth Station, also has a lot of cows. Two NDMC employees have also been deployed to stop them from coming on the road.
While Patriot was there, some locals came to feed monkeys as well as cows and bulls. Two people from Dwarka brought a car-load of bananas while another brought butter in an autorickshaw. The NDMC employees informed them that they won’t be permitted to feed the animals from Friday till Sunday.
“From tomorrow NDMC will arrange food for monkeys and the animals,” said an employee of the veterinary department of NDMC.
Policemen were also deployed inside and outside the forest.
Here are some of the visuals:
