Srinagar, 25-Nov; Dog menace apart, people in city are facing yet another nuisance in the form of non-local beggars who have taken positions at various important points in the city, especially in commercial hub, Lal Chowk.Invoking the Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Beggary Act,1960, the government imposed a ban on begging in 2018.An order issued in this regard by the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar directed police to arrest any person found soliciting alms in public and at religious places or other private premises.However, from Lal Chowk to Mughal Gardens, along the banks of world famous Dal lake, hundreds of beggars could be seen begging. The pestering beggars have made the movement of people on the roads difficult. These beggars move fearlessly catching many pedestrians off guard and are often seen pestering people to succumb to their demands even as policemen watch them. While men usually prefer to remain away from the city and beg in small towns, women along with their children beg in the city.The traders around the commercial hub Lal Chowk blame government for its failure to curb the growing menace of begging. “Due to the fear of beggars, sometimes customers avoid visiting our showrooms as they (beggars) irk them. These beggars demand money in such a way that it seems like somebody is taking back his/her money forcibly from a borrower,” said Nazir Wani, who owns a showroom on posh Residency Road.
