Using children to seek alms has once again returned to the streets of Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai as all commercially important areas overflow with shoppers buying clothes and essential items for the ensuing festival season.
Even though this menace has been prevalent in the twin towns of Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai throughout the year, the number of alm seekers roaming along the streets has risen sharply with the onset of the festival season. Apart from the aged seeking alms, women pestering the public while cuddling the kids or taking a child along with them for getting money has increased manifold.
Some of these women even hire babies from poor mothers for an amount to seek alms. Whenever the babies start crying inconsolably, the women administer some sedative syrup to calm them down.
After The Hindu carried a report on children being hired for seeking alms, the police, in association with the social welfare department officials, took stringent action against them. Even though these surprise checks and subsequent actions forced them to give-up this strategy, it has returned to the streets of Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai.
“We’ll request the police and alert the district child protection committee officials in this connection besides taking action on our own,” said an official of Department of Social Welfare.
