HOSPITALISE THE ILL AND INFIRM, SEND CHILDREN TO SCHOOL

You can’t miss the beggars. They are present at various spots around the tricity such as railway stations, bus stops, roundabouts, markets and religious places. The homeless and destitute, landless labourers and others stricken by poverty indulge in begging in the absence of any employment. Some children are forced to beg by the begging mafia and also made to indulge in crimes. On occasions the poor also encourage their children to beg. What the authorities need to do immediately is.

1. Hospitalise the ill and the infirm 2. Identify children who beg and send them to school

3. Arrest physically fit and mentally alert beggars under the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act 1959 or the Haryana Prevention of Beggary Act 1971.

The problem will not disappear unless governments show the will to mainstream such people.

SK Khosla, Chandigarh hygiene and social and food security. If ways and means to this are provided by the government, people will stop begging. Thirdly, harsh steps ought to be taken against those begging and skills taught to them to start earning.

Rajinder Preet Kaur, Rajpura and fulfil the labour needs of the administration.

Gurnoor Grewal, Chandigarh administration. UT adviser Manoj Parida has said he is helpless but the government cannot skip its duty. It must enforce the law, and must give relief to the citizens. However, the locals too need to show their determination to eradicate this evil and stop giving alms to the beggars as it promotes indolence and laziness because of which even children are forced to beg.

Manoj Malik, Chandigarh