Growing beggar menace in Kurnool

Kurnool: Begging has become a profession for many to earn easy money in the district. Several persons could be seen begging on the roads blocking the way of people. They could be spotted at every nook and corner in the city limits since morning to the late hours in the night.

Some beggars reserve their permanent places at temples, restaurants and at some main junctions in the city. Age is no bar for joining the begging profession. Women, children, elderly persons, lame, blind, hijras and others dressed as hijras could be located loitering from shop to shop seeking alms. The beggars would spare no one from asking money.

Sometimes, you have to come across embarrassing situations while you are on your table with your family dining at a restaurant and the beggars looking ardently at your dishes. If you come out and give something, you would be immediately surrounded with many others and you find no scope to ignore them without paying.

Begging is a social curse, but, it has become a roaring business in Kurnool city. The beggars are using many tricks to emotionally exploit the public to fleece money. A beggar is said to be earning anywhere between Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 a day. Ananta Rajendra Prasad, a member of voluntary organisation, said begging is fast turning into a roaring business in the city.

“But those in power are little bothered about it despite the prevailing precarious security situation in the society,” he added. He stated that the militants could disguise themselves as beggars. Hence, there was a need to control the increasing numbers of beggars in the society, he added.

Kumar Reddypogu, a teacher said that begging has become a booming business as the police seem reluctant to take any action against them. The beggars have made the life of people miserable as they are often seen knocking on the doors in the morning, he stated.

He further said that groups of beggars mostly women, children and even a good number of eunuchs are seen begging in markets, roads and streets, which annoys the people as they leave a person with no choice but to dole out a coin or to flee from the scene.

Shaikh Sha Vali, a private business owner regretted that being a Muslim, the beggars use the newest tricks to convince people to give alms instead of seeking help from Allah Almighty.

A police official, performing duty on the road in a busy market told The Hans India that they could tackle the menace of begging with ease and they only need orders from their higher ups to carry out a crackdown against them. He said although it was true that the beggars enjoy strong political backing, the government could eradicate it if it really wanted to do so.

By V Narendra Kumar