Beggars return to city streets as rehab efforts fail to suffice

Time of India

13 hours ago

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Jaipur: Beggars who were cleared from Jaipur streets before the Rajasthan International Summit have reappeared with a vengeance after just seven months. According to NGOs and govt officials involved in beggar rehabilitation programs, the primary reason for their return is the income disparity.
The beggars find street begging more lucrative compared to the earnings from rehabilitation schemes offered by both govt and private organisations.
"We observed that the rehabilitation schemes offer them an income opportunity of Rs 400 to a maximum of Rs 800 daily. They earn this money within far less time and by doing virtually nothing at the busiest intersections of the city. Why would they opt for rehabilitation when they can earn easily and stay on the pavements at no cost?" said an official involved with the rehabilitation.
On Monday, when Team TOI toured the city, there were several such groups of beggars occupying the pavements of several important roads across the city. In most cases, they are staying with families, including pets like rabbits or birds, and have constructed makeshift shelters on the pavements using plastics and tarpaulins. They light stoves on the pavements and cook their food as well.
"Another important threat for these beggars dwelling on the pavements is their kids.
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These kids play and run along the roads throughout the day, posing a major threat to the traffic. You can't stand and perform your duties close to their shelters as they use a section of the pavement for defecation," a traffic official manning the JDA Circle intersection stated.
Even on Tuesday, a team of enforcment officials tried to remove these beggars from the pavement of Shanti Path along the back wall of Birla Mandir.
However, they were spotted again in late evening on the intersection of Shanti Path and Vijay Path, barely 200 metre away.
Accepting that it is indeed a tough job to keep these beggars and their families away from the pavement, Giriraj Shekhawat, the president of an NGO, said another major problem is that they change their locations frequently, making it impossible to track them.