The State government’s Prashasan Tumchea Dari programme in Salcete has left behind a host of questions for debate in Margao -- have begging come to stay? Is there no mechanism to rid the Margao municipal garden benches of the menace of beggars and anti-social elements? Does the presence of a host of migrants, who have made the pedestrian footpath home away from home, outside the Margao railway station augur well for a tourist State, with hordes of visitors entering Goa via the railway station? Or, for that matter begging and vending at the Old market traffic circle?
Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte gave a patient hearing when councillor Mahesh Amonkar highlighted the issue of anti-social elements and beggars at the municipal garden right under the nose of the civic authorities, literally driving away Madgavkars who used to spend their leisure evenings at the garden.
The moot question, however, remains unanswered – will the municipality, police and district authorities evolve a solution and free the city of the menace? Or, will the issue raised at the government's programme be forgotten until a similar exercise is organized?
For, almost all the authorities seemed to have given up on addressing the menace.
Consider this. At the Prashasan Tumchea Dari programme, Sub-divisional Police officer, DySP Santosh Desai was categorical in saying that police action against beggars and those sleeping on the garden benches have come to nought for the simple reason that these people soon return to the same activity and place after being rounded by the men-in-uniform. Desai even said that the people who were put in trains heading to their native states only managed to return to Goa by the next train. How much truth is there in the DySP’s statement is a point of debate, but one thing is clear the police have almost raised their hands in tackling the issue head-on.
Says DySP Desai: “On average, the police collect an unidentified body of a migrant beggar or worker from the Margao market area and send the same to the district hospital. Our policemen undertake drives to free the garden benches of people sleeping and drinking, but there’s only a temporary effect, with the same persons returning to the place the next day.”
Similar is the case, he says, of the beggars: “Whenever the police round up the beggars, they are produced before the Judicial Magistrate. They are later released on payment of fine or warning by the court,” he said.
In the absence of a shelter home or beggars' home, the police are handicapped to maintain a continuous vigil on the beggars and the homeless.
The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) had in the past launched a concerted drive to free the garden benches of the anti-socials. The situation, however, has returned to square one, with no continuous action.
One reason cited in city circles why the garden has become a favourite place for beggars and the homeless is that city-based NGOs and organizations serve food there. Says councillor Mahesh Amonkar: "The NGOs are doing a good job by feeding the hungry, but it would go a long way if they conduct the activity at some other place. We have found that many consume alcohol on the garden benches just before the arrival of the food. We need a solution to this problem,” Amonkar said.
MLA fumes after being blamed for migrants living on footpath
MARGAO:
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat recently lost his cool after he was blamed on social media over the large presence of migrants converting the footpath outside the Margao railway station as their second home.
A visibly agitated Kamat even demanded to know why he should be blamed for the presence of migrants on the footpath outside the railway station when they keep returning after being driven away by the law enforcement agencies.
Kamat’s outburst is understandable as he claimed that the Goa police and the Railway police had time and again cracked a whip against the migrants, only to return within days.
