AGRA, March 19 -- Elaborate security arrangements have been set in motion across Mathura and Ayodhya ahead of President Droupadi Murmu's three-day visit starting Thursday. While authorities are prioritising cleanliness and traffic arrangements to ensure the programme remains smooth, the UP forest department has stepped up measures to tackle the monkey menace in Vrindavan and Govardhan, with langur cutouts placed at vulnerable points to deter monkeys, officials said on Wednesday. Besides, 'van rakshaks' (forest guards) will keep an eye on simians, which are in abundance in the Braj region. Earlier, langurs were pressed into service, but with animal rights activists protesting captivity of monkeys, the idea of cutouts has been deployed. A forest ranger said under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, langurs can no longer be used physically to keep monkeys away, as done earlier. "Therefore, we are using langur cutouts as a deterrent," he told media. "We have set a procedure for effective check on monkey menace. Forest department staff will be deployed and cutouts as per requirements are being placed," said a forest department official. Roads across Vrindavan and Govardhan have been repaired and rebuilt. As part of the beautification drive, walls feature paintings of Radha-Krishna and dividers decorated with flower pots. Public spaces have been cleared of garbage and prominent religious sites are being adorned for the President's visit. "Monkeys are also part of the habitat we all live in. The issue of monkey menace is being addressed in this light during the visit of the President," said Rajnikant Mittal, DFO (Mathura). Due to the sensitivity related to the President's visit, forest department officials were not highlighting details of the steps being taken but assured that the "issue is being addressed adequately". SSP (Mathura) Shlok Kumar said a three-tier security arrangement is in place. Officers of SP rank have been assigned to each place. Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel and police in plain clothes will be deployed, while social media is being monitored, he said. Magistrates and senior police officers are conducting regular inspections of all venues on the President's itinerary, including temples and ashrams. "It is a private visit of the President and all necessary protocols will be followed. Security arrangements are being re-visited and force from nearby districts is called in. About 3,000 extra policemen besides four companies of PAC will be deployed in the district for three days," he stated. During her visit, the president is scheduled to inaugurate a cancer block at a hospital in Vrindavan and perform the Govardhan Parikrama Govardhan Hill. Murmu is expected to undertake 'parikrama' (circumambulation) of the Goverdhan hillock on a golf cart and 'van rakshaks' have been deployed to ensure that no simian intervention takes place. Five teams comprising 30 staff members of the forest department armed with batons and 'gulel' (slingshots) are being stationed for the purpose. In the past, there have been instances of monkeys snatching goggles and handbags of devotees passing through lanes leading to the Banke Behari Temple. On June 5 last year, monkeys snatched a bag containing jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh from a devotee coming out of the temple after 'darshan'. Police took assistance from CCTV footages and recovered the bag along with with jewellery. During past visits of President, lanes leading to the temple were covered with cloth to block the view of monkeys. In 2019, BJP MP from Mathura, Hema Malini, had raised the issue of monkey menace in the parliament. In her statement, she complained that the issue related with monkeys is often taken in a lighter vein, but the situation is alarming. She had suggested setting up of a 'Monkey Safari' by the forest department and relocating monkeys there. The district administration had considered the idea of allocating 25 acres land in Chaumuhan area on the outskirts of the temple town for relocation of simians from urban areas. However, it did not materialise. President Murmu is expected to begin her visit to UP on March 19 with a visit to Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir and Ayodhya. She will then move to Vrindavan the same day and have darshan at ISKCON Mandir in Vrindavan, followed by darshan and aarti at Prem Mandir in Vrindavan on Thursday evening. As per the schedule released by authorities, she will visit Premanand Ji Maharaj Ashram in Vrindavan in the early hours on March 20. The President will also offer floral tribute at the 'Samadhi' of Baba Neeb Karori and then visit Udiya Baba Ashram and Davanal Kund in in Vrindavan. Thereafter, she will inaugurate the new oncology block of Ramakrishna Mission Sevashram (Charitable Hospital) at Vrindavan in the afternoon and visit Vatsalya Gram in Vrindavan later in the evening. On the last day of her visit, the President will visit Danghati Mandir in Goverdhan town, where she will have darshan and perform 'parikrama' (circumambulation) of the Goverdhan hillock in the early hours of Saturday before ending her visit to Mathura....