KARACHI, Nov 27: The city government has initiated a campaign against professional beggars in the city.

Some 30,000 people, including officials of city government’s community development department, Civil Defence, Fire Brigade, Karachi police, traffic police and volunteers are taking part in the drive.

Karachi Nazim Naimatullah Khan on Wednesday visited camps set up in the city for the purpose and performed their inauguration.

A city government statement said these camps would remain there till Eid.

Speaking at a camp on Sharea Faisal, Naimatullah Khan said the drive had been initiated to get rid of the menace of professional beggars.

He said action against them had become necessary because the professional beggars had been causing inconvenience to people at the roundabouts and other places besides creating other social evils.

The Nazim appealed to the people to discourage the professional beggars and give Zakat and alms to the deserving.

At a briefing, Naimatullah Khan was informed that during the drive professional beggars will be arrested and shifted to Edhi Homes.

It was stated that since Wednesday afternoon more than 3,000 professional beggars had been detained, who included women and children.

The education department of the city government has directed, through a circular, all heads of the government boys higher secondary and secondary schools to create awareness among the students of the issue.

The campaign has been launched due to the presence of a large number of professional beggars in various markets and streets, which adversely reflects on our social culture.

The circular stated that in this connection a seminar had been organized in the Galerie Sadequain, Frere Hall, on ‘The role of society in eradication of professional begging’.

The 18 towns of Karachi are also taking part in the campaign. They will distribute pamphlets and stickers, display banners at prominent places and establish camps, initially at Clifton, Saddar, Empress Market, Tariq Road, Hyderi Market, Nazimabad Chowrangi and Liaquatabad, where teams will be present for public guidance.

It has been directed that the educational institutions should whole-heartedly participate in the campaign. The teachers should emphasize the importance of the campaign, make charts for notice boards, and students be encouraged to write essays so that the message is conveyed far and wide in society.—APP/PPI