Bogus beggars make a decent living
The predicament of ‘to be, or not to be’ just does not even come to the mind of the majority of 10,000 odd beggars in the Hyderabad, for each one makes a minimum of Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 a month.
Hyderabad: The predicament of ‘to be, or not to be’ just does not even come to the mind of the majority of 10,000 odd beggars in the Hyderabad, for each one makes a minimum of Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 a month.
In a bid to rid beggar menace at traffic junctions in the city, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) recently conducted a survey along with the traffic police (Hyderabad and Cyberabad) and NGOs.
The survey came up with startling revelations, for one, it showed that a whopping 95 per cent of the beggars were actually not suffering from any ailments nor had any sort of handicap. There are about 380 groups and each group comprises 10-12 beggars. The survey was done at 100 junctions in the city.
Interestingly, most of the young men and women who are coaxed into begging are from Anantapur, Mahabubnagar and Kurnool. During the survey it was found that beggars migrated from various parts of the Telugu speaking states for jobs, education and other purposes but ended up choosing the easy route to make money. Many were lured into begging by the beggar mafia and are paid according to the collection.
Officials say that young men and women are easy prey. The mafia initially promise jobs and befriend them and over a period of time use every possible rick in the trade, including threatening to make them beg.
Raghu, (name changed on request) a beggar from Anantapur says, “I was initially given money for food and watch films. Then they brainwashed me by saying that even if I take up a job I would not be able to earn more than Rs 10,000 so I was convinced. Though I want to leave, I cannot as the mafia keep threatening me”, he said.
Mayor Bonthu Rammohan to put an end to the beggar mafia has instructed the officials to identify the fake beggars and pack them to native villages. But this is easier said than done. Officials say that they tried putting sense into these people who have taken to begging, but many say that they earn well and were not interested in going back to their native place.
Some also went to the extent of telling officials that in rehabilitation centres they would have to adhere to several rules and they would not be able to make that change. In the meanwhile, complaints from citizens on harassment from beggars at traffic junctions are increasing by the day.
"I was chased from the Sangeet signal in Secunderabad to end of the road by a beggar demanding money. When I refused give the money, he abused and tried to assault on me,” said K Padmavathi, a commuter.
"Even as the signal turned green I was blocked by two beggars for offering them the money. And they even tried to break the side rear view mirror on of my", said M Pavan Kumar, who was travelling from Barkatpura to Koti.
NGOs claim that even though they tried to counsel and re-habilitate them, the beggars refused. Goutham of Serve Needy, an NGO said that refused to join shelters. Rammohan said fake beggars would be given counselling and would be sent to their hometowns.
He said that civic body would not spare the beggar mafia and would not hesitate to file criminal cases. He further stated said that for genuine beggars, the civic body would provide food, shelter and a job.
By:Maddy Deekshith
