It's true that beggars and vendors at traffic signals seem to pose a big challenge to the authorities in Goa and in several other cities like Mumbai.
There is no doubt that these beggars and vendors who are mostly children and women, are a big nuisance. They literally force one into giving them alms or buy their wares.
One can understand the helplessness of the authorities in trying to curb this menace. They seem to have drawn a blank in their efforts and understandably, they seem to have run out of ideas.
What does one do in a situation like this? Perhaps, it is now upto the public to do their bit. We need to stop patronizing them by not giving alms or buying anything from them. That is perhaps the only way to stop this menace.
In the meanwhile of course, the law and order authorities need to take measures to check that they do not resort to the other means to extort money, like robbery, etc.
The authorities should also take steps to provide for employment opportunities to those in the interiors so as to stop them from migration into the cities. This will go a long way in curbing this menace of beggars in the cities.
