ULTA-PULTA
The rat trap
Jaspal Bhatti

Frankly, I have great respect for the rat, not only because it is the vahan of Ganeshji, but also because it is the only thing in the world my wife is petrified of. One or two rats scampering in the house keep my wife in check. But when the numbers of these rats get out of hand, my regards for them decreases because then my wife orders me to hunt down. A similar situation is to be found in Amritsar.

The Amritsar Municipal Corporation has awarded a contract to a private company to kill rats in the city. The prize for catching one rat is Rs 8.50. Imagine a babu in the Municipal Corporation counting the dead rats and making the necessary bill for the payment. Then the audit officers may also make some objections like, “Dekhiye the tails of a few hundred rats are missing. How can we clear the payment for these rats?” I am sure stories of some ‘fake encounters’ will also be heard.

The population of rats in the walled city of Amritsar has multiplied manifold, and the Municipal Corporation has been getting lots of complaints on how these rats are eating away at the very foundations of houses. How this private company will crack down on the rats in the narrow streets of Dal Mandi, Loha Mandi and Lachmansar Chowk remains to be seen.

I think it would have been better if the Municipal Corporation had distributed rat-traps to the residents and then announced some prize schemes. For instance, any resident who caught 10 rats could have been given a tea-set, a wrist watch, a dustbin or even some cash compensation. This would have given temporary employment to many. Beggars would have been seen begging in pitiable voices, “Baba, Bhagwan ke naam per ek chuha daan de de.”

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