Commissioner of Police Kamal Pant has directed the jurisdictional police to crack down on beggars and “ other people” who lead to traffic obstruction.
In a memo issued on Monday, he ordered a drive jointly by traffic and law and order police. An ACP-rank officer will be the nodal officer for the drive supervised by jurisdictional DCPs. Though the memo directs taking action, it will be up to the discretion of the DCPs as far as the nature of the action is concerned.
“The beggars create nuisance to the motorists who refuse to pay alms,”" Mr. Pant said in the memo.
The memo was issued in the wake of concerns raised by many residents in the last Sanchara Samparka Divasa held on Sunday in Yelahanka. They said that cab drivers giving alms to transgenders as a token of “good luck” has resulted in traffic jams at major junctions and increased the begging menace. The residents urged Mr. Pant to take action.
This is not the first time that that the city police is cracking down on beggars. In 2016, it launched a special drive, Operation Smile, led by the then Additional Commissioner P. Harishekharan against begging, especially against those who were forcing children to beg at traffic junctions.
