S.A Shofiee, Sylhet :
A section of veiled women with children in their arms are being a nuisance for the Eid shoppers in the Sylhet City and district .
Locals say the seasonal beggars come to the town from remote areas of the district when the Eid shopping gets momentum.
The number of such beggars rises as soon as Eid shopping begins. Most of them are physically fit women wearing veils.
‘When beggars see us buying something from a shop, they stretch their hands and ask for money,’ said Moynul Islam, an Eid shopper.
As their faces remain covered by veils, they don’t feel any shame in begging. They sometimes carry a little child to draw sympathy of the people.
‘The seasonal beggars to draw sympathy seek alms saying they will buy clothes for their children on the occasion of Eid,’ said Kamal Ahmed, another customer, adding that their claims are fake in many cases.
‘It is very disgusting when a physically fit woman asks for alms,’ said Jamal Ahmed of the Sylhet city.
Due to the seasonal beggars, people have lost sympathy for the genuine ones, several people said.
‘As begging does not need labour or money, women from remote areas come to the town to get money through begging,’ he said. It is a social problem and steps should be taken to stop the practice, he added.
DC of Sylhet M. Kazi Emdadul Islam said they are preparing a list of beggars in the city with a view to rehabilitating them under the government project. He, however, said they have yet to think about seasonal beggars.
A section of veiled women with children in their arms are being a nuisance for the Eid shoppers in the Sylhet City and district .
Locals say the seasonal beggars come to the town from remote areas of the district when the Eid shopping gets momentum.
The number of such beggars rises as soon as Eid shopping begins. Most of them are physically fit women wearing veils.
‘When beggars see us buying something from a shop, they stretch their hands and ask for money,’ said Moynul Islam, an Eid shopper.
As their faces remain covered by veils, they don’t feel any shame in begging. They sometimes carry a little child to draw sympathy of the people.
‘The seasonal beggars to draw sympathy seek alms saying they will buy clothes for their children on the occasion of Eid,’ said Kamal Ahmed, another customer, adding that their claims are fake in many cases.
‘It is very disgusting when a physically fit woman asks for alms,’ said Jamal Ahmed of the Sylhet city.
Due to the seasonal beggars, people have lost sympathy for the genuine ones, several people said.
‘As begging does not need labour or money, women from remote areas come to the town to get money through begging,’ he said. It is a social problem and steps should be taken to stop the practice, he added.
DC of Sylhet M. Kazi Emdadul Islam said they are preparing a list of beggars in the city with a view to rehabilitating them under the government project. He, however, said they have yet to think about seasonal beggars.
