Thousands of professional beggars have crowded in the capital ahead of Eid.
Beggars have now occupied most of the major roads, shopping malls, residential areas and bus and launch terminals. They are seen in groups also in front of city mosques.
Groups of beggars, mostly women and children, are seen begging in roads sometimes even occupying road crossings at traffic signals.
In the process they irritate the motorists and commuters as they keep knocking at windscreen till one takes out some money or else they scratch the vehicle and use abusive languages.
Apart from the city roads and intersections, a large number of women and children beg regularly on the avenues of the city’s posh residential areas like Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara from dawn to dusk.
Nowadays, the Gulshan-1 and Gulshan 2 circles have turned into lucrative places for the professional beggars and one can see them especially women and children thronging the streets asking for alms whenever vehicles stop at crossings.
One on duty traffic sergeant at Gulshan-1 circle said that the desperate beggars are harassing commuters and motorists when they refuse to give alms. They are often seen to harass the foreigners. Any body visiting Bangladesh will return home with a negative impression of the country for the vexing beggars.
Irked by the activities of the beggars, Mohammad Hatem, a resident of Gulshan, said, the Gulshan Avenue has become a beggars Avenue but the concerned authorities are not seen taking any action against the beggars, he said. No concrete step, he said, has so far been taken by the government to curb the menace.
The gang leaders rent out spots to groups of beggars at Tk 2500 – Tk 5000 for the month of Ramzan, said one such leader requesting not to be identified. The money so earned is shared among local mastans and police, he said. Some of the beggars are sometimes also used in crimes like drug peddling and hijacking.
Rina Rani Sarker (35) has come to the city from Kendua, Netrokona at the beginning of Ramzan for begging considering it as a lucrative profesion. She has been lured by a member of one organized gang. She however, would not disclose the identity of the gang. She said that she has been visiting the city for about 15 years in the holy month of Ramzan to earn some quick money. She usually earns Tk. 700 daily but on Friday the amount goes up to Taka 3,000 to Tk. 4000 a day. She has been begging at Gulistan Zero point.
Mosharraf (50) who is from Natore talking to this correspondent at Gulshan- 1, said that he has been driven to the profession by poverty. As he cannot beg in his home district, so he has chosen Dhaka, he said. He usually earns Tk 1000- 1200 daily, he said.
The beggars use new techniques to attract people, as their sole purpose is to earn money. Talking to this correspondent some beggars said that they have been pushed to this profession not out of choice but for some family tragedies.
The story of tragedies they narrate are usually common. Sometimes, they cook up story of accidental loss of limbs at work place or in accidents. They also ask for help in the name of treatment for self or any member of the family. Some of them are also seen showing some fake prescriptions of doctors. They some times manage to convince their listeners with their tales narrated in emotion choked voice.
Some members of the civil society talking to this correspondent said begging in any civilized society is a shameful act. It is also a reflection of weakness of the administration and police to implement the anti-beggary laws. The number of beggars in the city is at least seven lakh, said an official source said. The efforts of their rehabilitation has so far yielded little concrete result as they like to remain around the urban areas, he added.
The government should give a serious thought to the issue and launch a massive drive against the professional beggars with the help of the police, philanthropists and other social organizations.
They, however, hailed the government’s recent announcement to free the city from beggars. Social Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali on Tuesday said that the government is working on a plan to free Dhaka city from beggars very soon.
Speaking at an inter-ministerial meeting, he said that the government was moving ahead with a comprehensive plan to gradually free the rest of the country from beggars.
The government is planning to conduct mobile court after Eid to drive away beggar from different parts the city that include diplomatic zone and airport, Sonargaon Hotel, Ruposhi Bangla Hotel, Radisson Hotel and Bailey Road areas.
When contracted, a concerned magistrate of a law-enforcing agency told the New Nation on Wednesday that he was yet to get any instruction from the government to conduct drive against the beggars. “If I get the instruction from the concerned authority, I will act accordingly,” he added.
