Kerala - Kochi   

Law & Order: Begging for a lasting solution

A concerted effort from all the agencies concerned could address the issue of beggars on the street, writes Anand Haridas.

For the umpteenth time, the City Police removed homeless people from the street and shifted them to the Palluruthy Relief Settlement. During a drive held on Wednesday night, Ernakulam Town Central Police led by Circle Inspector G. Venu shifted 27 people.

But the problem, as it had been with previous drives, was that shifting them to Palluruthy Relief Settlement is only a temporary solution. The city police had been doing this exercise regularly, especially when complaints of house-breaks involving those from outside the State were reported.

Now, the city police are planning to evolve a system for finding a lasting solution to the issue. Till now, the authorities have been resorting to the concept of returning these people, most of them found begging on the street, back to their home towns.

"We will soon initiate a discussion with the City Corporation to form a scheme similar to the one implemented in Thiruvananthapuram city," said Manoj Abraham, City Police Commissioner.

The Corporation there, in association with the Social Welfare Board, provided vocational training to people removed from the streets and ensured job placements or marketing counters for the products made by them. This arrested the return of these people back to the street.

With the Palluruthy Relief Settlement being overcrowded often, chances of those put there by the city police remaining there for long are fewer. That makes it appropriate for the city police to evolve an effective scheme to address the issue.

"Neither the police nor the civic authorities have contacted us in this connection. Even then, we are planning to hold a discussion with authorities concerned for preparing an action plan to address the issue of beggars on the street," said C.M. Yoshith, Regional Assistant Director, Social Welfare Department.

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Law & Order: Begging for a lasting solution

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