Catch Me If You Can

Recent news reports say that Bangalore corporation body has appointed a private agency to capture 30 cats in the Raj Bhavan premises..The government Animal Husbandry department confessed that it had no experience in catching cats but proudly boasted of considerable expertise in catching dogs and pigs.Therefore the department had no other go than to invite tenders to catch cats.An agency was recently awarded the tender for Rs.98000.The commissioner however said that if the prices were seen as too high then the deal would be cancelled and fresh tenders called for.

The action was initiated based on the stealthy approach of the cats when the Governor’s family members walked in the premises with their dogs.The dogs became ferocious and attacked the cats which however gave a befitting reply. The cats also did not discriminate the visitors based on affluence,caste etc.

Having been subjected to politicians and media onslaught on various deals over a period of time my imagination ran riot and the result is the blog coming out with interesting possibilities

The cost of catching the cat works out to around RS. 3300 per cat compared to Rs.1100 per cat as per the deal finalised 5 years back but not formalised by the concerned minister as some MLAs had raised concerns about the cost,suitability of the agency selected and alternate solutions not given due consideration etc.The reply of the present Government is that the cats were weighing 5 kgs then whereas now they weigh around 8 kgs.Luring with food is one of the techniques to catch the cats and fat cats need to be lured with protein rich food which is expensive.

People for animals organisation chips in and says that Cats are also part of the eco system and help in curbing the menace of rats and lizards.Instead of catching them and making them suffer in smaller places with space constraint they should be left undisturbed in the vast expanse of 16 acres of their existing residence.These cats are also accustomed to multi cuisine and they would not survive with typical south indian food outside.A good possibility is also to hire an animal trainer who will help make friends between cats and dogs.

Lawyer activists and investigative journalists question the veracity of the number of cats involved.They complain that there was no audit by Accounts commitee nor any official report submitted to joint committee on Cats welfare.The Accountant General says that expertise of their auditors does not include climbing trees and jumping from one place to another.Considering future requirements these skills will also be added to their curiculam.

Some religious activists claim that cats are worshipped as Goddess in Egypt and we have had close relationship with that country.Another statistics float around the country that Australia boasts of around 3 million cats left free and nourished in their country. Cat haters on the other hand accuse cats of making around sixty species of animals extinct.Sorry for the digression.

In the meanwhile some official initiates a note saying that we could have brought the cost down if the Governors office had not conducted parallel negotiation.He however omits to point out that Governor as a person is impatient for results and brooks no delay in executing projects.While this fight is raging another new dimension is added to the controversy.A politician says that the selected contractor is from Tamilnadu thus depriving the local animal expert organisation of orders and opportunity of providing jobs to the locals.The local organisation however spurns the offer saying that they are interested in tracking only Tigers and Elephants and not the lowly cats.

In the meanwhile cats flourish in Raj Bhavan with 12 kittens every year and 180 kittens in their life time of 15 years.Assuming that 50% of the cat population in Governors house is female the cat population will increase to around 900 cats by the time the next Lok Sabha elections are announced in 2024.[15 female cats-12 kittens per cat per year for 5 years] .The next Government will have an opportunity to say that had they been in power they would have solved the cat problem in Rs. 98000.

This only proves the adage that cat has nine lives and I wish them a good time in Raj Bhavan.

 

Dear Viswa,
The procedures are cumbersome and outdated and yet there are complaints of kick backs.One astronaut was seen pensive a day before the launch of the space craft.When questioned about his mood he replied that his worry was that the parts fitted in the space craft were bought on L1 basis. Governors will come and go but as you rightly said the cats are the naturalised citizens of Raj Bhavan and hence entitled to the perks.
Regards-SLN