MAPUSA
The begging menace has come to haunt the business community in the Mapusa market putting the civic authorities and police in a spot of bother.
The sudden rise in thefts in the municipal market has put the spotlight on the beggars who of late have been having a free run in the popular bazaar.
Nearly a dozen beggars, including children and adults, have been moving around in groups begging for alms and allegedly involved in pickpocketing and thefts.
According to a local vendor, around Rs 8,000 was robbed from a vendor in the flower market last week and the indication was that the beggars moving around slyly in the market were involved in the robbery.
“This is a serious problem in the market. These beggars are constantly harassing the customers besides getting involved in thefts. We have complained to the police and the civic officials about the issue, but nobody is trying to solve the problem,” said Pandurang Sawant, Joint Secretary of Mapusa Merchants Association.
The beggars also target tourists who visit the popular market and use all tricks to attract their attention. Several of these beggars are from outside the State.
“The nuisance created by these beggars is on the rise and distracting our customers. The rise in the number of beggars is very disturbing. The authorities should initiate action against them at the earliest,” Sawant said.
Chairperson of Mapusa Municipal Council, Shubhangi Vaigankar admitted to receiving complaints of thefts and nuisance created by the beggars in the municipal market.
“We are concerned about the begging menace in the market which needs to be tackled on a war footing as early as possible. People are being robbed in the market and this gives a bad name to the town. I am planning to call a meeting of various departments to find a solution to this problem,” Vaigankar said.
The police have also acknowledged receiving complaints against the beggars in the market and the bus stand but expressed helplessness in handling the situation.
“We drive them away from a particular spot but after some time they re-assemble in the same area. We also have certain limitations,” a police official said.
Sawant informed that the begging menace has to be handled in a professional and humanitarian way.
“We need to involve NGOs so that the beggars can be rehabilitated. Many times we find that the concerned authorities do not apply their mind to resolve the issue,” he said.
He further informed that NGOs like Street Providence and Jeevan Anand were doing a good job of rehabilitating homeless people in Mapusa.
“A similar approach can also be explored to tackle this begging issue in town,” he said.
