Beggar rehabilitation programme in tatters

The Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad's plan to get rid of pesky beggars has run aground after non governmental organisations which agreed to rehabilitate them asked for land to set up homes. The municipality did not oblige them.

Other NGOs agreed only to help child beggars and not older persons. There are an estimated 20,000 beggars in Hyderabad.

Mayor Teegala Krishna Reddy who made it an election promise to rid the city of beggars has so far had two meetings with the NGOs without achieving any success.

Beggars crowd traffic signals, shopping malls and restaurants.

The Don Bosco Nava Jeevan Bala Bhavan, JMJ Sneha Sadan, Friends of the Birds of the Air and one more NGO agreed to rehabilitte beggars on the condition they got land and specified only young beggars.

A social welfare department survey of 4,428 beggars showed nearly 350 owned houses, another 2,000 earned between Rs 10-25 per day, about 1,700 earned Rs 100 daily, 751 lived in rented houses, 1,500 at railway stations and bus stands, 880 on pavements, 630 under trees, 96 in a 'choultry' and another 100 in abandoned buildings.

The deparment said it could only talk to 4,428 on a single day. Those it spoke to were aged between 30 to 54 years – 1,867, 1,106 between 55 and 99 years, 523 between 19 and 29 years, 412 between 13 and 18 years and 520 between 3 and 12 years!

The survey revealed 1,500 beggars were illiterate, 1,229 went through high school, 551 upto middle school, 156 to primary school and 1,118 knew how to read and write.

On the styles they adopted, 2,574 said they preferred directly soliciting, 468 begged by showing open wounds, 438 by singing, 238 by carrying babies, 204 by showing religious pictures and idols. Another 276 said they begged with a story of sickness, 165 by self-mortification, 39 by showing pets and 26 through other methods.

An MCH official said: "We cannot allow only child beggars to be rehabilitated by NGOs because that does not solve the problem. The project should be a complete one involving all beggars and we are already working on it," the additional commissioner (Urban Community Development) Sri Devasena said here.

The Mayor said, "I will fulfill my promise. But it will take time. It is not easy as the beggars simply returned to the city after being picked up and left on the outskirts during Bill Clinton's visit. We need a concrete plan now."

LIVING OFF THE STREETS

Rich pickings
• Of 4,428 beggars nearly 350 owned houses
• Another 2,000 earned between Rs 10-25 per day
• About 1,700 earned Rs 100 daily
• 751 lived in rented houses
• 1,500 at railway stations and bus stands, 880 on pavements, 630 under trees, 96 in a 'choultry' and another 100 in abandoned buildings.

- Social Welfare Department Survey