Bangalore witnesses 'Beggar Boom'

Bangalore witnesses 'Beggar Boom'
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Bangalore is witnessing a boom not just in IT investments but also in beggar population. The number of beggars on streets and at business spots is multiplying at an alarming pace.

The reason can be attributed to the apathy of the State Governor and civic authorities. As a result, the number of beggar rehabilitation centres has not kept pace with the problem.

For instance, the Government-run Beggar Relief Centre, the headquarters on Magadi Road, receives about Rs 20 crore a year from cess collected but it does not have enough accommodation for beggars.

The relief centre is for the reception and temporary retention of beggars. Says the Secretary of the Central Relief Committee, S Krishna Gowda:

“The relief centre lacks accommodation to take in all beggars. We plan to build two to three dormitories for them.”

The Primary Heath Centre in the relief centre is under renovation. Medical treatment of these inmates is carried out in the open. It has one permanent doctor for 800 inmates. According to the Superintendent, Chandrapa, there are at least 60 percent mentally retarded inmates.

“Physically fit inmates are trained in Carpentry, Binding, and Tailoring. They are paid Rs 5 a day as wages. Gowda says the drawback in these training sessions is that they are not taught skilled work that is utilitarian.

“When the inmates are released, they cannot use this skill and hence resume begging. Moreover they can earn nearly Rs 50 outside from begging,” he added.

The kitchen for the inmates is unhygienic. The stink in the dining room is as bad as garbage smell. No cots are provided for them. The inmates have to sleep on mats. This can be one of the reasons for the inmates’ desperation to get back on to the streets.

There are 14 Destitute Relief Centres in Karnataka. The Centre takes under its umbrella boys older than 18 and girls older than 16. Children are sent to the Women and Child Welfare Department.

Says Gowda, “a beggary cess, in the form of a surcharge on land and buildings, is collected by civic bodies. It is later sent to the Relief Central Committee.”

At present there are 800 beggars. Chandrapa says, “We cannot keep all beggars here. A beggar arrested for the first time with no previous record is released. The number of inmates varies according to the release and intake of fresh ones.”

The Karnataka Prohibition of Beggary Act 1975 bars persons from begging and the authorities can take them into custody for trial and rehabilitation at these centres.

Joint Police Commissioner M C Narayan Gowda says his men conduct seven to eight beggar drives in a month. “Sometimes we collect 100 beggars in a day and hand them over to the relief centres. They are sometimes released from the centre for want of space.”