Chandigarh Adviser tweets ‘say no to beggars’, rankles netizens
Deepankar Sharda
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 26
An appeal by UT Adviser Manoj Parida on avoiding beggars at traffic light points has apparently not gone down well with city residents.
Parida today tweeted: “Appeal to Chandigarh residents not to give money to beggars at traffic points. They could be corona spreaders. We can’t jail them since beggary is not a crime. When put in shelter homes they run away to make money from streets. Simply say No.”
- Also read: Motorists harried as beggars pester them sans precautions
- Don’t give money to beggars, they could be ‘corona spreaders’: UT Adviser
On July 24, Chandigarh Tribune had highlighted the presence of beggars at various traffic light points and junctions, which is posing a threat to city residents during the pandemic.
Netizens are of the view that Parida’s tweet shows the inability of the top administrator to find a viable solution to the issue.
Dalip, a netizen, tweeted: “Why these people run away from shelter homes if their documents are verified on the date of admission.”
Many feel that the administration should take help from various NGOs and the MC. “The Administration should initiate a drive to identify the nationality of these beggars. They should be brought under the MHA’s scheme meant for the welfare of the poor,” said Simar, a teacher.
“Officials should come up with a solution. Not giving money to beggars won’t stop them from begging,” tweeted Gurcharan Singh.
Replying to a netizen who suggested that begging in the city was being run by a clandestine organisation, Parida tweeted: “We made a police inquiry into the possibility of such gangs operating here. Report said no such gangs were active.” In one of the tweets, he also claimed: “The Supreme Court has decriminalised begging.” However, alert netizens raised questions about that too.
Rajesh Jogpal, former MC Commisioner, Panchkula, who is currently the Special Secretary (Home) Government of Haryana, tweeted: “Chandigarh Administration has adopted the Haryana Prevention of Beggary Act 1971 under which beggary is a crime in Chandigarh. The city has three certified institutions for beggars. Sure they can’t be jailed but can be put into the certified institutions.”
Jogpal told Chandigarh Tribune: “During my tenure, we were able to control the menace to some extent. We started by giving free food and then started identifying parents of children on streets. The teenagers were sent to ‘snehalyas’. I don’t know about the current status, but previously, the UT was following the Haryana Prevention Beggary Act 1971. Under the Juvenile Justice Act, parents can’t make their children beg. The UT police had also started operation ‘Muskan’ to identify these groups. These beggars should be identified and be moved to certified institutions. They should be taught basic skills.”
