But if their argument is flawed, it is not without reason. The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) has entrusted the operation to Prakash Dhillon (28), a conservancy employee, who has been chasing the pigs all over town with a group of 30 workers. Though Dhillon receives no remuneration from the corporation, he makes a fortune from theRs 200-300 he earns per animal from butchers in Mumbai. The pigs also land up in the freezers of leading meat companies and export houses.

``We manage to catch between 100 to 150 pigs a day and have already rounded up 28,000 animals. With the support of the UMC, it should take no more than a month to rid the town of every single pig,'' he told Express Newsline.

The hunt begins at daybreak. After hitting the local arrack shop to anesthetise themselves, Dhillon and his men close in for the kill. A ripple of exictement runs through the group which is armed with sticks and nets as a herd of pigs is sighted. ``Aa rahen hai. Jaal tayyar rakho (They're coming, keep the net ready),'' shouts Dhillon. With three men in hot pursuit, the clatter of hooves soon gives way to squeals of agony as nine porkers are trapped. But the portly animals are no pushovers. Kicking and scratching, they put up a brave fight before their hindlegs are seized and bound and the animals packed into a waiting truck.

Lastweek, one of the catchers, Cheeralal Babulal (19), took 13 stitches to his left leg while Kalelal Shyamlal continued the chase with a bleeding arm. But then, the Rs 200 Dhillon pays them is tantalising bait.

Dhillon and his men were entrusted the task in September-end after an earlier drive in August failed. The idea, fielded by UMC Officer-on-Special-Duty R D Shinde, had been cleared by Thane Municipal Commissioner T S Chandrashekhar (who holds additional charge of the UMC) and orders had been issued on August 21. However, the conservancy staff, who were to trap the animals, were unable to deliver the goods. ``We discovered that their reluctance stemmed from the fact that a substantial number of the pigs live in colonies where our own conservancy workers reside,'' Shinde explains. Then, in September, Prakash Dhillon (28) offered his services.

Explains Shinde: ``The pigs are placed in the UMC pound till a batch of 250 to 300 animals are rounded up. After that, they are taken to Mumbai and sold to butchersthere. A full-grown pig sells for as much as Rs 200. The piglets and old animals released into the forests around Shahapur.''

Residents of this town, whose unplanned and rapid growth has made it the ugliest settlement in Thane district, were initially sceptical about the drive. Some were even hostile. But disgust at their city fathers and the civic administration for turning their town into a stinking, disease-ridden settlement soon got the better of them, for now they gather in groups to watch the trapping operation.

Shopkeepers and hoteliers in Camp 4 -- which has the highest concentration of pigs -- gape as the team goes into high gear. After 12 whimpering trotters are bound and trussed up, Dhillon's men are offered soft drinks and snacks and much praise. Remarks Ashok Thadani (72), a resident of Camp 4: ``Finally, we may be rid of a problem that we have been complaining about for 40 years. There may even be hope for the UMC.'' Seasoned residents, however, are not so sure.