Is it just me or have you too noticed a sudden increase in the number of beggars? The cake was when I was eating in "BreadTalk" at Hiranandani Mumbai. Someone pokes me in the arm and there is a beggar! Bang in the middle of the resturant. The Iranian family next to me guiltily gave the juice that the little kid of 5 years had ordered to him. The restuarant waiters took almost 3-4 minutes to come in and remove him.
Its the same at work. Go out to the Chai Tapari behind to what is a private road and there are atleast 10 off kids begging. Then there are the hijras sometime in addition and then those folks dressed up as monkeys also touching you for money. Go out the other side for the lunch from a side entrance to this place 20 ft away and there are at least 5 more beggars.
Every traffic stop has at least 6-7 kids begging and my usual path is not really the heavily used city roads. I think for every hour spent on city roads there are at least 20 beggars who accost me. Which means that each foreigner will easily encounter at least 10 times as many. and those with families probably also 10 times as many. Its almost become like mosquito in a swamp. If I go from Aundh to MG road - a distance of around 9 kilometers I'll easily encounter close to 200 beggers! It is simply impossible to move around in city without having someone or the other grabbing a limb asking for money every few minute.
Now I keep hearing from these NGOs how kids are obtained on rent to beg. Many very young ones are also surgically operated and mutilated since it gets more money. The very young ones are heavily drugged so that they don't cry- ever notice how that infant tagged to the kids begging is nearly always sleeping? I suspect most of us know that beggers are also mafia controlled. Then why do we keep giving so much money to them in the process making it a lucrative trade and hence ensuring that kids stay out of school, drugged and/or mutilated?
I think its time that the local governments got serious to this menace. Haul up all these kids put them all in a shelter. Put their parents behind bars for renting them out and the mafias in jail under charge of human trafficking and child abuse.
Its the same at work. Go out to the Chai Tapari behind to what is a private road and there are atleast 10 off kids begging. Then there are the hijras sometime in addition and then those folks dressed up as monkeys also touching you for money. Go out the other side for the lunch from a side entrance to this place 20 ft away and there are at least 5 more beggars.
Every traffic stop has at least 6-7 kids begging and my usual path is not really the heavily used city roads. I think for every hour spent on city roads there are at least 20 beggars who accost me. Which means that each foreigner will easily encounter at least 10 times as many. and those with families probably also 10 times as many. Its almost become like mosquito in a swamp. If I go from Aundh to MG road - a distance of around 9 kilometers I'll easily encounter close to 200 beggers! It is simply impossible to move around in city without having someone or the other grabbing a limb asking for money every few minute.
Now I keep hearing from these NGOs how kids are obtained on rent to beg. Many very young ones are also surgically operated and mutilated since it gets more money. The very young ones are heavily drugged so that they don't cry- ever notice how that infant tagged to the kids begging is nearly always sleeping? I suspect most of us know that beggers are also mafia controlled. Then why do we keep giving so much money to them in the process making it a lucrative trade and hence ensuring that kids stay out of school, drugged and/or mutilated?
I think its time that the local governments got serious to this menace. Haul up all these kids put them all in a shelter. Put their parents behind bars for renting them out and the mafias in jail under charge of human trafficking and child abuse.
No comments:
Post a Comment