Srinagar: A day after Local News Agency Kashmir News Service (KNS) published a story titled ‘As Ramadhan begins, non-local beggars swarm Srinagar’, District Magistrate Srinagar, Syed Abid Rasheed Shah on Wednesday directed police to arrest the persons who will be found soliciting alms in a public place, religious places and other private premises.

According to the order under DMS/PS/18/250-254, dated 23-05-2018, the DM also directed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar and SSP Budgam to implement this order in letter and spirit and report the number of such arrests on a daily basis.

“Any persons soliciting alms in a public place, or in or about a mosque, temple or other places whether or not under any pretence, entering on any private premises for the purpose of soliciting alms, exposing or exhibiting with the object of obtaining or extorting arms, any sore, wound, injury, deformity or disease whether of human being or an animal, having no visible means of subsistence and wandering about or remaining in public place or in a temple, mosque or other place of worship in such condition or manner as makes it like that the person doing so exists by soliciting arms and allowing himself to be used as an exhibit for the purpose of soliciting arm, does not include soliciting money or fee or gift for a purpose authorized by law are authorized in the prescribed manner by the district magistrate, shall be immediately arrested under section 4 of the Jammu and Kashmir prevention of Beggary Act 1960 read with section 61 of the core of criminal procedure, SVT 1989,” the order copy reads.

It adds that Srinagar being the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir holds great importance in the social economic landscape of the state. Being the capital city of the state the vast population, it is contingent upon the administration to take all measures necessary to make the district more citizen friendly and to prevent public nuisance at all costs.

The DM in the order stated that it has been observed that off late there is proliferation of beggars on the streets of Srinagar which creates massive nuisance for the general public.

It further added that begging at any public place or places of worship whether or not under any pretence is repugnant to The Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Beggary Act, 1960.

The order further reads that being an offence under the act, it is imperative to take strict action under law be initiated against the offenders.

Meanwhile the DM tweeted that “Due to the proliferation of beggars on the streets of district Srinagar, the general public faced immense nuisance. Keeping relief to general public in view, I as the DM have passed orders for arrest of offenders soliciting alms on the streets esp at traffic signals.”