PANAJI
Authorities have been struggling to find a solution to the menace of begging in the Capital City and despite initiating various steps, the number of beggars has been on the rise.A few days ago, beggars are reported to have damaged the materials of shoe polishers along the footpath below Congress House in Panaji sometime on Sunday night.
According to sources, beggars are frequently seen sleeping at night on the footpaths near the Church Square, below Congress House and near Hindu Pharmacy.
The Casino Jetties have also become a favourite spot for begging activities till late night.
The administration has found it difficult to tackle the menace of beggars and while police have been detaining these beggars at regular intervals, they have had no other option but to release them outside the city as there is no remand home for beggars.
"We will come out with some solution shortly to tackle this problem, said Rohit Monserrate, chairperson of the Corporation of the City of Panaji.
It may be recalled that the Institute of Public Assistance (IPA) had submitted a proposal some years ago to set up a Remand Home for Beggars to combat the beggar menace.
The IPA had proposed to set up the remand home on 30,750 sq mtrs of land at Chimbel, which would also have two separate institutes for patients with Alzheimer’s and other psychiatric ailments. However, this proposal is still in the pipeline.
“We tried to shift beggars to some private shelter homes but the number of beggars was swelling by the day. There are some professional beggar gangs operating in the city,” said a CCP corporator.
Former CCP mayor Uday Madkaikar had even alleged that some beggars were involved in selling cannabis in the city.
Some years ago, a beggar had allegedly murdered another beggar on the footpaths of Panaji.
