Hry drive pushes child beggars to city for shelter

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 25

Haryana’s gain is Chandigarh’s loss. While the Haryana Police have launched a drive against child begging, the displaced children are taking shelter in Chandigarh.

KP Singh, DGP (Prison), Haryana, made a reference to it during a capacity-building workshop for police personnel at Snehalaya in Maloya.

He said Haryana was striving to make the state child beggar free. He also did not rule out that the children displaced during the drive may be entering Chandigarh for shelter.

The policemen sitting in the conference room complained that the menace has spread in the city after Haryana launched a drive against it.

“The Haryana Police followed the order of higher-ups. Many amongst them are migrants who have taken shelters in the city. Instead of pushing children to Chandigarh, there should be a permanent solution for the problem,” said a police officer.

Harjinder Kaur, Chairman, Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CCPCR), said the menace brought a bad name to the city.

“Many a times, while travelling with a foreign delegate, children are spotted selling balloons at the roundabouts. Or else they could be spotted begging. Such scenes are really disturbing. Hence, we want participation of all stakeholders to end this menace,” said Harjinder Kaur.

Representatives of the child helpline said every morning, hordes of beggars entered the city. “If special nakas are laid by the police near the road leading to the railway station, then the police can catch these children,” said a representative of the child helpline.

Another policeman said Chandigarh provided a perfect setting for people who operated the beggary racket. “The roundabouts in the city and markets are becoming a perfect hunting point for such people. Some concrete strategy needs to be worked out to keep a check on the menace,” said the policemen.

Another police officer blamed the growing population for it. “Growing population is the root cause it. If a couple is allowed to have 12 children, then how such an evil will end. Many slums have mushroomed in the border area of the city,” he said.