They got the cats to rid the state secretariat at Writers' Buildings of its rats. But now the fat cats, fed on milk, biscuits and, occasionally, fish from the employees' canteen, have become too lazy to hunt the rats. And their number has risen from 12 a decade ago to 60 now. That has resulted in cats and rats having a free run in the corridors of power while the public works department (PWD) grapples with a new, fortified menace.

The PWD had taken 12 cats to Writers' Buildings a decade ago. At that time, a growing populace of rats was destroying important government documents and files at the secretariat.

For some time after that, the cat system worked well. They took care of the rats and the secretariat staff stopped complaining about destroyed files.

But the problem returned in a new avatar about five years ago when the cat population started increasing menacingly. There is now five times the original number of cats. And these are inconveniencing the secretariat employees.

Doted on by the Writers' Buildings canteen staff, who have lavished the cats with milk, biscuits fish and other goodies, these cats are now, too, lazy to go rat-hunting. As a result, cats and rats are multiplying side by side, their age-old animosity forgotten.

According to building caretaker S Sahoo, the cats had become such a menace, that a decision was taken last year to get the cats killed and tackle the rats by installing mousetraps in all rooms of the building.

However, word of the cat-killing mission reached animal lovers, whose groups stormed the Writers' Buildings in protest against the government decision.

A helpless PWD department is now considering either giving away these cats to any voluntary animal lover organisation against payment or arrange a separate abode for them. 

Sumanta Ray Chaudhuri/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication