Like any place in India that attracts visitors, Delhi’s India Gate has its fair share of beggars. But every January, for one week around the Republic Day on January 26, the streets around the war memorial are miraculously cleared. No grubby hands tugging at your sleeves or touching your feet for alms, no urchins peering into cars, tapping on the rolled up windows.
You’ve got the Delhi government to thank for that. However, this time the mighty hand is sweeping the whole city as it prepares to welcome visitors from all over the world for the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
The rationale for anti-begging laws stems from a view that there are organised begging mafias, that aggressive panhandling is a public nuisance that causes economic loss to businesses as it turns away potential customers, and that able-bodied people should work.
Although there have been sporadic reports about the begging mafia operating in Delhi, activists who work with the homeless say that such cases are an exception rather than the rule. “The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch have themselves presented a report which says that there is no organised begging mafia that operates here,” says Mander.
(This story appears in the 23 October, 2009 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)
How pathetic is tis? don't do anything for temporary purpose for show off, just do it as the duty of the government.
on Dec 6, 2009Answer is not in hiding Beggers but giving them food and shelter.
on Nov 9, 2009You should take more concern about the goverment's plan on how to remove beggary from our country, thats the the main issue.
on Jan 10, 2010