Over 48 beggars rehabilitated in two days

Secunderabad: They are poor and eke out a living by seeking alms in railway compartments. Their tribe includes young children singing songs to the rhythmic music produced by tapping two wooden or stone pieces. 

Some others clean the floor in the compartments and seek money from passengers. Physically challenged persons, the old and helpless people live on the alms given to them by commuters. 

Whenever, travel ticketing examiners visit the compartments they hide near the toilets. The policemen upon sighting them mercilessly made them alight wherever the train halts – whether it is the railway station or at the railway signal post on the outskirts. 
This is almost a round-the-clock phenomenon in trains – express, passenger and suburban – reaching Secunderabad railway station, which is a hub of feverish activity with at least two lakh commuters visiting the place per day on an average. 

Such activity is witnessed on trains heading for Mahabubnagar, Nizamabad, Warangal, Vikarabad, Nalgonda and other places. 

They mostly travel without tickets. They crowd the place near the toilets and make it difficult for people reaching washrooms. A majority of them are beggars, vendors, the aged, visually challenged beggars, women and physically challenged.
 
As part of the measures to make the city free from beggars, the beggars are being sent to rehabilitation centers. 

As part of the exercise, the South-Central Railway Protection Force is also catching hold of the beggars in the railway compartments and sending them to the rehabilitation centres (Central jail at Charlapally).

According to the Railway Protection Centre circle inspector Rajagopal Reddy and sub-inspector Balaji, for the past two days the beggars are being sent to the rehabilitation centre. On Sunday, 22 beggars were rehabilitated and 26 on Monday. They said that the rehabilitation of the beggars would be a regular programme.

By KB Ramesh