Beggary in trains continues unchecked
Begging in metropolitan trains has increased much to the annoyance of the passengers, particularly in the fully packed Colombo bound trains in the morning. Passengers said the beggars dressed in dirty clothes squeeze themselves into the crowded trains without least concern about its inconvenience to the passengers. They pointed out that the beggars considered their dirty rags a uniform for their profession.
One of the beggars who boards the train at a railway station between Bambalapitiya and Dehiwala carrying a huge stone shouts out at the standing passengers to get aside and make a corridor for his acrobatics and then stands on his head, stretches his legs upwards holding the stone with his feet. Passengers who are not willing to watch this gruesome scene look away but he manages to cash in a big sum from others.
Another beggar carrying his wife on his back, claiming that she is handicapped and unable to walk boards trains packed to their capacity and creeps through the crowd. It is surprising why he could not work even as a manual worker and maintain his wife if he is strong enough and healthy to carry his wife on his back.
A young man swallowing swords is a cynosure of the crowd that enjoys it knowing pretty well that he is playing a trick and not actually swallowing the swords.
However, only a few passengers realize its danger if the children who noticed it would experiment it by swallowing knives or anything else in place of swords.
Meanwhile the peddlers selling food, soft drinks and bottles of water are carrying on their trade without any restriction from the Railway officials or the health authorities responsible for enforcing food safety regulations. Food sold in trains by peddlers is exposed to dust and flies.
Passengers said they often faced hardship when the singers playing musical instruments prevented them from having a clear hearing of announcements at railway stations.. Passengers requested the Railway Security Service and the officers in railway stations to carry out raids to prevent beggary in trains. They pointed out that the guards in trains should be advised to prevent the beggars boarding trains.
Passengers requested the Railway Security Service and the officers in railway stations to carry out raids to prevent beggary in trains