Swarms of locusts were seen in Lucknow, Sitapur, Barabanki, Gonda and Agra districts of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. In Lucknow, the swarm entered from Malihabad side and went towards Ayodhya via Barabanki.
Several residents were seen banging 'thalis' and other utensils to drive away the insects, while the Lucknow Police tried countering the swarm by switching on their hooters and sirens.
The police team used sirens on several routes, including Hazratganj, Lok Bhavan and Raj Bhavan Road to drive away the short-horned grasshoppers with highly migratory habits and voracious feeding behaviour.
At some places, police personnel also took out bike rally as part of its anti-locust operation.
In a statement, the state agriculture department said, "Locusts were on Sunday seen at different places in Lucknow, Sitapur, Barabanki, Gonda and Agra.
The agriculture department is continuously monitoring the locusts, and the task to eliminate them will begin late in the night. Two teams of the department are keeping an eye on the movement of the insects, it said.
Lucknow District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash said, "All locusts have been driven away from the district. Teams were active throughout the day and sound equipment was used."
The swarm reached Gonda district late in the evening from the Barabanki-Bahraich border, said locals.
(With inputs from PTI)
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