A few years ago, a large numbers of monkeys were shifted to the nearby Kaziranga National Park but they returned to Dergaon in no time. “The largest number of monkeys is found at Negheriting temple, close to Dergaon town, where they take refuge,” the official said.

President of the All Assam Citizens’ Union Satyen Kotoky said: “It is more dreaded than the Ulfa problem in its heyday. Unless something is done immediately, the problem will only be compounded.”

One reason for the unchecked menace is that people abstain from hurting monkeys for religious reasons, D.G. Gogoi, another forest official, said. “Despite the monkeys creating such problems, we still find people offering them food in some areas,” he said.

An aide of sitting Dergaon MLA, Sushila Hazarika, admitted that monkeys were a big problem in Dergaon. “Our MLA is aware of the problem and had taken up the issue in the Assembly, which constituted a committee to find a solution to the menace,” he said.