E-Paper
Number of beggars in Ludhiana brought down from 250 to 74 in a month: Survey
Make Ludhiana beggar-free by Dec 31, says police commissioner; thrust on anti-beggar drive and their rehabilitation
Ever since the police had kick-started an anti-begging drive in November, around 250 beggars seeking alms at 40 places in city including traffic light points, temples and gurdwaras have been on police radar.
Over a month since the start of this drive under which beggars are being rehabilitated and the numbers have dropped to 75, reveals a police survey.
While minor beggars are being sent to child care homes for treatment and studies, adults are being provided jobs in factories in consultation with different industry associations of Ludhiana.
After going through the results, commissioner of police (CP) Rakesh Kumar Agrawal has issued fresh orders to make the city completely beggar-free by December 31.
“We have managed to bring down the number of beggars to 30% of the initial strength. After December 31, if any beggar is found seeking alms in the city, the station house officer (SHO) of the police station concerned will be held responsible,” Agrawal said.
As per the police survey, the maximum number of beggars at any given point of time were found at Dandi Swami Chowk, Mata Rani Chowk, bus stand, Krishna Mandir, Kipps Market, Clock Tower, railway station, Samrala Chowk, Jalandhar Bypass, Bharat Nagar Chowk, Rose Garden, and Raghunath Hospital among other areas.
The data shows that there used to be at least 20 beggars at Dandi Swami Chowk between 8am to 10pm; and eight beggars including men, women, children and differently-abled used to beg at Bharat Nagar traffic intersection.
Similarly, 8-10 beggars in Kipps Market, five to six at Bhai Bala Chowk, 10-15 at Krishna Mandir were also on police radar.
A team of 40 police personnel, including ASI and head constables, are deputed at each identified spot to conduct the anti-begging drive and rehabilitate the beggars.