Typical government response to something/everything. Ignore it until it becomes a problem then spend money on the wrong “solution.”
The feral cats congregated there because of a ready food source. When the number of cats became more than the food source could support. People start feeding the cats and the population continues to grow. At some point government decides the cats are a problem and decides to remove them all.
The proper course of action would be to determine the proper number of feral cats the local food source can support. Then humanely cull the cat population back to fit the food supply and keep people from feeding them.
So simple a high school drop out can figure it out.
Any solution that doesn’t entail some politician and/or his family getting government money is not acceptable.
There are US cities with successful spay/neuter programs. City neuters the feral cats, and some neighbors agree to provide some meals. One neighborhood I have observed over 25 years had this program, and I never saw a rat. Major renovations and higher end sales began about 5 or 6 years ago, people who fed the cats moved out, the cats were no longer fed. Now they have disappeared and the rats are running wild and even entering houses.