Assam to roll out SOP on human-elephant conflict, monkey menace

Guwahati, July 15: The Assam government will introduce a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to tackle the state’s escalating human-elephant conflict and growing monkey menace, with the framework expected to be finalised by July 22-23 following extensive consultations during the ongoing Budget Session of the Assam Assembly.

The decision was taken after a detailed meeting involving ministers and MLAs from districts worst affected by wildlife-related conflicts.

Addressing reporters, Finance and Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said nearly 150 people lose their lives every year in incidents involving wild elephants, making the issue one of the state’s biggest conservation and public safety challenges.

“The human-elephant conflict and monkey menace have become major challenges for Assam. We discussed compensation for affected families, crop losses, and both short-term and long-term measures to address the problem,” Baruah said.

He said MLAs have been asked to submit area-specific recommendations, which will be incorporated into the SOP to ensure region-specific interventions.

The long-term strategy will focus on restoring elephant habitats through large-scale afforestation, clearing forest encroachments, and improving the availability of food and water inside forests to discourage elephants from straying into villages and farmlands.

To strengthen local response, the government will constitute zone-wise committees with MLAs as members to recommend site-specific measures such as solar fencing, bio-fencing and other conflict mitigation strategies.

The government also discussed the increasing monkey menace, which has caused significant damage to crops and affected residential areas in several districts. Baruah said Assam is examining monkey sterilisation (vasectomy) as a population-control measure, citing similar programmes implemented in Himachal Pradesh. Any such initiative, he said, would be preceded by public consultations.

He added that the government plans to launch mission-mode plantation drives involving social organisations, security forces and local communities to restore ecological balance and reduce human-wildlife conflict.

Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Minister Biswajit Daimary, who attended the meeting, said monkey attacks on agriculture were discussed in detail.

“There was extensive discussion on the issue of monkeys and agriculture. We explored whether steps can be taken to control their population while protecting farming activities,” Daimary said.

The proposed SOP aims to provide a coordinated framework covering compensation, habitat restoration, wildlife management, monkey population control and preventive measures, as the government seeks a more structured response to one of Assam’s most persistent environmental and livelihood challenges.

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