Pune : Koregaon Park Residents Worry Due to Increasing Harassment By Beggars 

Residents of Koregaon Park area have been troubled by the constant harassment from beggars at traffic signals & other areas.

Aradhana Chudasama, A Resident of Koregaon Park, said “Several beggars & children keep troubling us every time. There are several locations from Koregaon Park to Kalyani Nagar such as Blue Diamond area, Westin area and many more where these beggars keep bothering us all the time. Whenever we are at the traffic signal, these kids come &, if money is not given, keep scratching on the vehicles, kicking them, punching them, damaging them and what not. Even when the signal becomes green, still these beggars keep running behind our vehicles. If, unfortunately, by any chance, a child or a beggar gets hit by a vehicle, nearby people will come & blame us for it. The police tell us that we should catch some of the beggar kids & bring them to the police station as, when the police arrive here, these beggars run away. Now, are we supposed to stop everything else and keep doing these things? Hence, the police must immediately heckle these beggars or do something after which these beggars won’t harass us forever immediately.”

Namrapal Chudasama, Resident of Koregaon Park, said “This beggar issue has been there for many years. Some 1 to 1.5 months ago, at Blue Diamond signal, a person was begging with a male child. It was raining heavily. The male child was sleeping in so much rain. Hence, I allowed the child inside my car & told him that I can take him to a hospital. However, the male child kept asking for money & ran away. Some 15 days later, I saw the same man begging with a female child this time. What happens is that when you allow a child to come near your car or are offering some money, several other kids come running at your vehicle for the same thing. This has become a nightmare. No traffic signal in Pune is beggar-free. These beggars shamelessly keep harassing alone females & males who are on a vehicle. Beggars also keep hitting the vehicle with something. Dents have come on my car several times. Till how much time will this continue?”

A resident, requesting anonymity, said “This beggar issue is very much prevalent especially at the Blue Diamond Chowk. These beggars & kids keep harassing people who are standing at the signal by constantly asking for money. If it is not given, they keep hitting, scratching a vehicle etc. Unfortunately, if a kid or a beggar gets hit by a vehicle, everyone will come blaming us.”

Aarti Kataria, Resident of Koregaon Park, said “We have been raising this beggar issue for 1 or 2 years now. These beggars are everywhere such as the Blue Diamond signal, areas of Kalyani Nagar etc. They just keep bugging you & if you don’t give money, they will start hitting your vehicle, abusing you, making weird faces etc. If you are travelling by an auto rickshaw, if it happens that you are sitting on the side of the rickshaw, they will keep touching you to get money from you. This is so not good. Police are also not taking any appropriate action against this.”

Nilima Pawar, Police Inspector, Koregaon Park Police Station, said “Usually what happens is that whenever the police goes to the areas to catch the beggars, by seeing the police coming, they immediately run away. Hence, the beggars & kids who are caught are sent to the Bharosa Cell where they are taught several things about life, what to do and what not to do and more.”

Shreyas Vange