CHITRAL, June 30: With the increase in intensity of heat wave, the beggars from Punjab and other parts of the country have thronged the city streets and roads to enjoy the pleasant weather of Chitral and bounties of the local people, who are always inclined to help the needy.

The professional beggars of all ages, majority of them girls, flock to the area in groups or group of families every year in summer season, said Mohammad Ismail, a worker of a local NGO.

He observed that these people carry out their work in a systematic manner to get sympathies of maximum number of people. He said that young girls sitting on roadsides with infants in their laps often succeeded in luring the gullible passers-by into giving money and other alms.

Mr Ismail said that according to a survey conducted by his NGO last year, a beggar earned over Rs500 a day, which was equal to the daily earnings of a skilled labour. He said that beggars could be seen in great number near the government offices as they received more bounty from the officials than from the ordinary people.

An old beggar from a southern district of Punjab refused to disclose his name when quizzed by this correspondent, saying that “A beggar is a beggar who has no name,”. However, he said that he had eight family members besides children of his two married daughters. He said that they went out in the dawn in different directions to return in the dusk with their purses full of money.

The old man termed Chitral the 'heaven for beggars' and noted that the people here were kind-hearted, who obliged them more than people in any other part of the country.

However, people here have been demanding of the government to impose a ban on beggary in Chitral, saying that beggars have been polluting the social atmosphere of the area. They objected to the free movement of young girls wandering in the government offices, shops, hotels and other public places.

Ashfaq Ahmed, a shopkeeper in a busy market of the city, said that the young girls attract more 'donations' than others. He also called for restricting the beggars' movement.