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Where Have The Beggars in Delhi Gone
Where Have The Beggars in Delhi Gone
Where Have The Beggars in Delhi Gone
"We have information that many beggars were loaded into trucks and sent out side the city with a
warning not to return before the completion of the
Games," says Kumar.
"This is very unfortunate. First, the government failed to
provide a human solution to the problem of poverty and
now they are trying to hide the very problem to the
world."
According to an estimate by the Social Welfare Department, there are around 60,000 beggars
in Delhi. Of them 30 per cent are
below 18 years of age, 69.94 per
cent are males and 30.06 per cent
are females.
The Hanuman temple complex in Connaught Place, Nizamuddin dargah, Yamuna Bazar area,
Kali Bari Marg, Aruna Asaf Ali Road are some of the examples.
The beggar-eviction drive was planned in April last year. However, the decision drew severe
criticism from several NGOs and human rights groups, following which the drive became low
profile.
But the activists claim authorities continued the drive "quietly and arrested hundreds of people"
for begging in the city using the Bombay
Prevention of Begging Act 1959.
"These evictions are carried out under the guise of city beautification and urban renewal
measures. First they wanted to criminalise poor people and then make them invisible," says
Singh of IGSSS.
"It's a very worrying situation. In a democratic country, how can you just force one to leave a
place and his living? It's against the fundamental rights of a citizen," he rues.
There were also allegations that several shanty towns have been demolished in a bid to beautify
the city for the Games.
Huge boards have also been placed at road sides, which activists say, is aimed at hiding the dirt
and poor localities.
Miloon Kothari, a former UN special rapporteur on housing, had recently said that efforts to hide
the truth of poverty don't speak very well for the international community.
Delhi has drawn international criticism for various issues ranging from financial irregularities to
delay in preparations for the Games.