MARGAO: Residents and business owners of Old Market in Margao have voiced their concerns over the growing number of beggars and migrant hawkers in the area. At an important meeting held on Friday, they decided to urge the authorities to inspect all common areas where these people have made their homes and to investigate the alleged gang running the hawking and begging business in Margao.
Several citizens and members of the Old Market Business Owners Association accompanied the police in identifying the beggars and hawkers in the area causing inconvenience to the public. They demanded police personnel to be posted not only at Old Market but also at all the signals in the vicinity of Margao.
According to Neville Costa, a businessman from Old Market, they have evidence of a Rajasthan man along with his gang and his family running this racket of hawking and begging. “We even obtained photographs and videos of the gang and the vehicle used for their operation. Recently, Fatorda police too had cracked a whip against the vagrants but shockingly, they continue to operate after police action,” he said.
Residents claimed to have identified the vehicle involved in transporting the beggars and hawkers from one area to the next. “We are also going to request that one police personnel be posted at the traffic circle constantly for a few weeks to get rid of all the migrant beggars and hawkers. The nuisance created by them has ruined the identity of the area, and has resulted in insecurity among the residents,” said Mackenzy Costa.
They have also proposed to display boards that read ‘No begging allowed’ or ‘Beggar-free zone’ in the jurisdiction of the civic body and evict anyone seen living or panhandling in public.
“The action plan should be taken up by way of a joint representation to various authorities with the assistance of our local MLA Vijai Sardesai,” said Neville Costa. He said that the MLA and his team had taken the effort to conduct several drives against beggars, along with the Fatorda Police station. “But they return within a month,” he lamented.
