With the police yet to initiate action against begging in banned areas, a group of minors, including girls, have made their entry into the city with the alleged support of elders.
The issue remains overlooked despite the rising number of complaints against the practice and concerns over children’s safety.
Though a few local traders recently made an attempt to find out the whereabouts of migrant children from their adult counterparts, they declined to divulge details. Since the police and other government authorities have not come forward to address the issue, more such “nomadic” children are being attracted to the banned practice.
“We strongly suspect that there are elders behind such children wandering in the beach area. They have learnt all the tips and tricks to attract the sympathy of the public. An investigation to expose the invisible hands behind them is the need of the hour,” said two senior citizens who met several such children on the Lion’s Park premises.
On Wednesday, as many as eight children, including those below five years of age, were found seeking alms from visitors to the beach in the name of medical treatment and others. Incidentally, policemen at the beach aid post or pink patrol squads made no attempt to check their whereabouts. Vendors on the beach said there had been a rise in the number of nomadic children in the area.
A lottery vendor from South Beach said a few children were found selling balloons and toys to cover up their involvement in begging.
“They seek alms from dawn to dusk. No one knows where the money goes. There are even instances where such children ignore people who offer them food,” he added.
According to some beach vendors, a majority of such children are found living in insecure surroundings despite the availability of rehabilitation facilities for rough sleepers. Such children and elders should be offered livelihood support at the earliest, they said.
