E-Paper
One month on, beggars on Ludhiana city roads down by 63%: Top cop
CRACKDOWN Drive against the widespread begging menace started on February 15
Nearly a month after the local police launched a crackdown against the widespread begging menace, the police on Saturday claimed that the number of beggars had dropped by 63%.
In a press communique, commissioner of police Rakesh Agrawal said following the stringent drive by the Ludhiana police, most beggars had stopped frequenting their begging spots and many had even returned to their native places. He claimed that following counselling by police, several beggars had also taken up employment opportunities to make a decent living instead of relying on alms.
Through the drive, which began on February 15, the police had identified 1,170 beggars at 19 busy locations of the city. The number, Agrawal claimed, had now dropped to 435 (37%). He further vouched to make the city beggar-free in the next two weeks.
According to the release, during the drive, various teams from different police stations apprehended the beggars from roadsides and outside shops. They were then brought to the police lines where they were counselled to shun begging and look for job opportunities.
Earlier on January 6, the police commissioner had imposed a ban on begging under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
APPEAL TO PUBLIC
Meanwhile, the commissioner of police has appealed to city residents not to give money or food to beggars to discourage the practice of seeking alms.
Complaints against any beggars still found on roads can be made to the police control room at 112.
The police chief said many beggars were found to be involved in pickpocketing and snatching cases. “They are feeble and uneducated, so the police cannot be stern with them as of now. We are counselling them. But, if they return to begging, stern action as per law will follow,” he added.
During the drive, the maximum beggars (250) were traced at Ludhiana railway station. Another 200 were found active near Shri Durga Mata Mandir, Jagraon Bridge. According to the police chief, their number at each of these locations had reduced to 35. Similarly, only 40 beggars are left near Krishna Mandir in Model Town Extension, where earlier there were 150 beggars.
