Monkey control becomes election issue. In the lead up to local elections, the monkey issue is being taken up by politicians who are vying to give promises for how they will control the problem. It is estimated that there are 1.5 lakh moneys in Mathura-Vrindavan, compared to 6 lakh people, so people are outnumbered 2 to 1. It is true that in many areas, people manage to live in harmony with monkeys, but some groups of monkeys have learnt to form gangs and attack in groups, causing injury, property damage and terror. The monkey problem is made more complicated by their status as relatives of Hanuman, servant of Ram. In some places, signs can be seen saying, “Monkeys are not holy. Please do not feed them.” Relocation has been trialed as a simple and humane option, however, previous attempts were thwarted when monkeys who had been relocated managed to return to Vrindavan. Read more (Hindi)
Temples criticized for wasting milk offerings. In an article on the increased cleanliness efforts being undertaken in Goverdhan, Jagran reports that the milk flowing into the drains in Goverdhan is adding to the challenges of keeping the town clean. The report mentions that even though temples collect funds from people who use milk to do Giriraj abhishek, they do not spend anything on preventing the milk from flowing into the drains.
P.C. India Today
High Court orders Yamuna cleanup. Yesterday: Allahabad High Court: The petition to stop drains flowing into Yamuna in the Braj area was heard. Earlier, court officials had taken samples of Yamuna water from Mathura-Vrindavan. Local authorities are being blamed for dragging their feet on the issue. Read more (Hindi)
P.C. Jagran
Parikrama redirected to avoid railway line. This year, the thousands of pilgrims doing Mathura-Vrindavan parikrama on Akshay Navmi will not be allowed to randomly cross the railway line wherever they see fit. In preparations for the parikrama tomorrow, an official route is being marked out. The official parikrama route will cross the railway line at Mathura through the underpass. Officials are also arranging mobile toilets; temporary lighting for badly lit areas; water and medical facilities. Read more (Hindi)
P.C. Patrika
Corrupt housing scheme uncovered. Hundreds of apartments that were built for the poor have been acquired by wealthy persons who then rent them out to low income earners. The District Urban Housing Agency (DUDA) is preparing a report for the District Magistrate in connection to the scam. The allegations refer to the apartments behind 100 Bed Hospital. These apartment blocks, containing 736 apartments, were built by the Bahujana Samajwadi Party (BSP) between 2010 and 2015. Read more (Hindi)
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