Day 1 of begging ban: Deferring to the law, nearly 200 leave Nagpur

NAGPUR: On Day 1 of the ban on begging on streets and public places came into force, the city police on Thursday claimed nearly 200 beggars have left the city.
Commissioner of police Amitesh Kumar had on Wednesday issued a notification under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) prohibiting begging in public places and warned the violators of jail and fine. Though initially the ban has been imposed till April 30, it may be extended further, the notification said.
The city police and Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s social welfare department have joined hands to make the city beggar-free.
NMC’s deputy commissioner (social welfare department) Prakash Warade said the civic body owns seven shelters for homeless people. Of them, one is exclusively for beggars. Having a capacity to accommodate 150 people, the shelter home provides lodging to only 18+ males. “We do not keep women and children there,” clarified Warade.
Warade said the civic body has kept a bus and an ambulance ready to shift the beggars caught in police action to its shelter home.
The NMC also has a shelter home with a capacity to accommodate 30 women. “If caught, we can accommodate them there,” he said.
Presently, 182 homeless people are staying in NMC’s six shelter homes having combined capacity to accommodate 280, said the official.
The notification had underlined ‘objectionable acts’ by beggars, creating nuisance and obstructing public and vehicular movement etc as some of the reasons behind the ban.
On the first day, some of the common hubs of the beggars like Kasturchand Park, Yashwant Stadium and Meetha Neem dargah were evacuated.
Kumar said beggars sheltering at the Kasturchand Park and Yashwant stadium volunteered to leave the place and headed to their respective native places or elsewhere outside Nagpur after being told about the ban.
“Beggars at the Meetha Neem dargah were shifted to government shelter homes with the help of civic officials,” said the CP. “Some indulging in begging in the city were from Amravati and they too have left the city,” said the top cop.
Kumar has earlier clarified that the action on beggars, on the lines of transgenders, has not been initiated keeping in mind only the upcoming G20 summit and C20 meet in the city but to put an end to nuisance on the streets and make the city safe as a few of these vagabonds were also acting as catalysts in criminal activities.