Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is going to launch a second special drive to make Hyderabad a beggar-free city.
During a meeting with several higher officials along with the revenue department and police officers on Thursday, GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar said, “A special drive will be conducted to make Hyderabad a beggar-free city.”
“The identified beggars will be shifted to GHMC shelter homes and they will be given training on skill development so that they can earn for their own according to individual ability,” he added.
The authorities also requested the citizens to give information if they found beggars at junctions or in places of worship.
In November 2017, the authorities rounded up the beggars when Ivanka Trump visited Hyderabad. Later, GHMC started the ‘beggar-free city’ programme in February 2020 to the menace of begging in the city and the authorities shifted beggars into GHMC shelter homes.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, all GHMC shelter homes were vacated due to the fear of infection. But now, the GHMC has initiated the second special drive to shift all beggars into shelter homes.
In connection with the repair of damaged roads and filling of potholes, the Commissioner instructed the officials to issue notices to the agencies if there was any negligence on their part.
In order to implement the street vending policy in a more effective manner, a committee to be formed with GHMC and Police departments.