ISLAMABAD, Feb 11: Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration and police on Tuesday kicked off a drive against menace of begging and sent hundreds of beggars outside the city.

The drive was launched under security arrangements taken by the ICT administration on the occasion of Eid, an official told Dawn.

“We cannot send child beggars behind the bars but they are boarded on buses and relocated to areas outside the city,” he said.

The official said after picking adult beggars from streets, they were produced before magistrates, who sent them to jail for a period of 30 days.

However, the entire effort of the ICT administration to diminish the menace of begging proved to be a futile exercise as after completing their sentences, the beggars restart their business in the capital.

When asked why the ICT administration do not take concrete steps to control the menace, he said the problem could only be overcome by establishing proper beggar centres.

“In these beggar centres, education and technical skills should be imparted to the baggers so that after being released from these centres, they can play their role in nation building rather becoming a burden on the country,” he suggested.

The official agreed that the menace of begging is on the rise as groups of beggars can be seen at shopping centres and traffic signals causing traffic hazards and trouble to the commuters and general public.

Few years ago, beggars were not seen on main roads and at traffic signals, but now they throng these places throughout the day, he added.