PRAYAGRAJ, Jan. 15 -- The Uttar Pradesh government has informed the Allahabad high court that the environment, forest and climate change department will prepare a work-plan within a month to tackle the monkey menace in the state. Taking the assurance on record, a division bench of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra, in its order dated January 13, directed to list the public interest litigation on February 17, 2026 for the next hearing. In pursuance of a high court order dated December 3, 2025, additional advocate general Manish Goyal produced minutes of a meeting dated January 8, 2026 wherein all the departments concerned as well as the Lucknow Municipal Corporation and member of the People for Animals participated, wherein a decision was taken that the responsibility to manage the monkey menace was that of the environment, forest and climate change department for which it would prepare a comprehensive work-plan within a month and, as required, other departments would also support the said department. On the basis of the minutes, time was sought on behalf of the respondents to produce the action plan as decided in the meeting. A modified proposed tentative action plan to address the issue of monkeys was also produced by the Animal Welfare Board of India. Thereafter, the high court directed that it may also be taken into consideration by the environment department. The court passed the above directives while hearing a PIL filed by social worker Vineet Sharma and Prajakta Singhal. The petitioners mentioned the problems faced by the people on one hand and the hunger of the monkeys due to lack of food for them in almost all districts across the state. They showed newspaper coverage of monkey attacks in Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Sitapur, Bareilly and Agra to the court, indicating that the issue was not limited to one or two districts but the whole state. The petition raises the issues of the growing population of monkeys, increasing man-monkey conflict, hunger and loss of food to monkeys, their starvation and cruel conditions the monkeys are living in. The PIL is seeking harmonisation of rights under Article 21 of the Constitution and the rights and freedoms of the animal, especially, the right to food and freedom from hunger, starvation and other causes, constituting cruelty. At the centre of the dispute lies a key legal change. Until 2023, monkeys were listed under the schedule of Central Wildlife (Protection) Act, making their management the responsibility of the forest department. In 2023, monkeys were denotified from the schedule, triggering concern over jurisdiction. Since then, forest officials have taken the position that they are no longer legally bound to act on directions related to monkey management. According to the petitioners, after monkeys were denotified from the schedule of the Wildlife Protection Act, the responsibility of their management shifted to local bodies under the municipal laws. However, as per urban development officials catching and relocating monkeys required trained personnel, specialized equipment and scientific protocols none of which the department currently possesses....