Beggars and their realms

People from the lower strata migrate to the city in search of livelihood and find the easy hand of begging for “making” money. What’s more? Beggars have their territories, which they refuse to let go

Even as the Telangana government has vowed to make Hyderabad a beggar free city, the number of beggars has increased by 10 per cent in contrast to the last year statistics.

In a survey done by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporate (GHMC) in 2014, it was revealed that 1,078 beggars are living under Baldia limits. Now the number is over 1,300.

Majority of the beggars are seen either at the traffic junctions or the eateries. They even have their own territories beyond which they refuse to go.

A case in point, M Pochaiah who is a leprosy patient has been begging for the past 25 years in Secunderabad area. Sharing his ordeal, he says, “I was a labourer in the agricultural fields at my hometown in Warangal. After being diagnosed with Leprosy, I came to Hyderabad for treatment where I met other patients and formed a group. We could not find any work and had no other source to earn for our livelihood; we started begging.”

He then went on to elucidate his daily schedule saying they were 200 in number who disperse in groups of 15 to 20 and operate in different areas in Secunderabad. “We plan our schedule and share equally whatever we “earn” at the end of the day. Each of us earn around Rs 70 to 100 per day,” he shares.

Pochaiah’s wife Kranthi kumar who accompanies her husband discloses, “Most of the beggars in the city are from Yadagirigutta, Dichpally (Nizamabad) and Borabanda. I have seen parents encouraging their children to take up this occupation. But we are educating our daughter who is studying in the fourth standard.”

A 70-year old woman, C Laxmiamma, who was in the city for eye treatment at LV Prasad Eye Hospital, has a different story. “Though treatment is free, I cannot afford medicines. Hence, I spend my day begging at Green Bawarchi at Srinagar Colony. In the evening, I sleep on the footpath near the Hospital. I get around Rs 50 to 100 in a day, which goes into buying medicines,” she says.

Shiva, a beggar from Malkajgiri has been living on the streets with his family for years. He says, “I am fed up of giving interviews to media and getting my families and my photo clicked. People come and ask us questions and then leave, which does not help us in any way. I am jobless and can’t feed my children so they beg too.”

With increase in the number of beggars and homeless in the city, the State Human Rights Commission recently directed the GHMC to submit a detailed report by December 30. A petition was filed by MBT ex-corporator leader Amjed Ullah Khan, which said that nearly 5,000 homeless people including beggars were spending their nights under open skies in Hyderabad.

“There are less than 10 to 12 night shelters in the city. The GHMC, as per Supreme Court direction, should provide them shelters, which is being not implemented. Instead, GHMC uses the shelters as their storerooms,” alleges Amjed Ullah Khan.

Sandhya Vanapally social activist says, “Strange enough, it’s been observed that when a VIP or VVIP visits Hyderabad we don’t find a single beggar on the streets.”