Srinagar, Aug 7: After protests against power and water woes in the City this summer, the Srinagarites Tuesday took to streets pressing for their demand on another front.  This time the protesters want an end to beggary, the menace, which swells with the growing number of non-local beggars who come to Kashmir during summers looking for better alms.

THE PROTESTS
 The locals and shopkeepers of Ram Bagh area blocked the main road Tuesday afternoon following an altercation with the beggars, who as per the complainants have made the lives of locals miserable.
 The protesters who blocked the Airport Road, asked: “Let the government decide what it wants: we or beggars?”
 The protesters said the number of beggars was growing with each passing day adding that the latter make movement of people difficult.
 “These beggars don’t leave you till they are given some money. But then they keep coming again and again,” the protesters said.
 The shopkeepers said beggary was affecting their business as “customers avoid coming to this area.”

BEGGARS GO CLEVER
 Though some days back police had started a drive against beggary and some non-local beggars were sent back, the lot has resurfaced in the City, this time “cleverly”.
 Complainants said given that past experience that the non-local beggars were whisked away by cops, the lot now plays clever by donning traditional Kashmiri attires so that police mistakes them as being locals.

LAWYER’S PLEA 
 Senior Advocate Bashir Ahmed Bashir, who has been pleading that beggary is banned in the state said he himself came across the “masqueraded lot”.
 “Begging,” Bashir said, “Is a cognizable offence and any police officer under Section 4 can arrest the beggar without any warrant and the offence is punishable from one year to three years by summary trial.”
 “If an individual can be detained for protection of political order why can’t these beggars be detained for protection of social order?” he questioned.

POLICE PACIFIES PROTESTERS
 Meanwhile a police team led by SDPO Sadder, Shabir Ahmed Shah rushed to Ram Bagh and pacified the protesters.
 Shah could be heard assuring the protesters that their genuine demands would be fulfilled. It was only after Shah’s persuasion that the traffic movement could be resumed on the Airport Road.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 7 Aug 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 7 Aug 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 8 Aug 2012 00:00:00 IST