LAHORE, May 6: The number of professional beggars is increasing steadily in the provincial metropolis due to absence of any mechanism to check the menace.

The beggars start pestering the motorists for alms at every busy road crossing whenever the traffic stops and continue moving from one vehicle to another till the signals turn green. Each of such beggars easily collects an average Rs200 to Rs300 after a day’s begging as most of the motorists dole out a minimum of Rs5 to them. The more generous among them even give away a Rs50 note.

Beggars also haunt the General Bus Stand, the Lahore Railway Station and busy bus and wagon stands in considerable numbers. They enter every bus in the GBS and start soliciting alms but do not stay long as they have to visit many more buses.

These beggars also collect handsome amounts daily because a sizeable number of passengers oblige them when they pray for their safe and successful journey.

Shrines, hospitals and courts are also swarmed by the beggars as most of the visitors to such places can be motivated to give away a few rupees in return for the prayers for the fulfilment of their desires, solution to their problems and recovery of their under-treatment near and dear ones. Beggars not only pester the people outside the hospitals but can also be seen roaming in the wards during the visiting hours. The beggars at the courts pray for the success of the litigation and release and acquittal of the accused.

Beggars are also present in the markets and bazaars in large numbers. Each one of them selects a target and starts chasing it asking for ‘help’. They also visit the shops as most of the traders are superstitious and keep considerable amounts in the form of coins for giving it away to earn blessings for their business. Some of them dole out one or two rupees to every beggar visiting their shop to keep the shop clear for the customers. Most of beggars in business centres is content with one or two rupees as the amount collected after a days begging runs into hundreds of rupees.

The aged beggars claim to be destitutes and seek monetary help for keeping their bodies and souls together. Most of them, however, are strong enough to go from place to place and person to person for several hours continuously. The able bodied beggars usually beg without any pretext. Scores of beggars with physical disabilities and deformities are also seen at particular places daily. Most of such beggars are accompanied by able bodied sponsors who transport them to the vantage points and take them back after they have completed their day’s begging. Beggars exploit the weak belief and superstitition of the people to motivate them to dole out alms to them. Many people are motivated to oblige the beggars by the well-known Punjabi proverb “Dua faqiran rehm Allah” (Prayers of the saints bring the mercy of God) and take them for the proverbial “faqirs” . Such simpletons consider it a duty to oblige every beggar who spreads his hand before them thinking that anyone among them could be a saint in disguise.

The beggars change their prayers in accordance with the location they have selected for begging and the nature of the people they found there. The beggars at the shrines pray for the solution to the problems and fulfilment of the desires of the devotees.

Those at the railways stations and bus stands are seen wishing the passengers a safe journey to their destinations. The hospital beggars pray for the health of the patients and those operating at the markets and bazaars pray for the success of the business while visiting the shops and blessings of Allah while approaching the customers.

Those operating in the courts pray for the victory of the litigants in cases. Those pestering the motorists at the road crossings are content with spreading their hands due to short time at their disposal.