By: Vibhuti Pathak
Sri Lanka Police are urging the public to cease giving money to beggars at intersections and traffic lights in and around Colombo, citing concerns over traffic congestion, vehicle damage, and harm to beggars themselves due to road accidents.
DIG Indika Hapugoda, Traffic Police Chief, emphasised the implementation of measures to remove beggars from these areas. Police officers, both uniformed and undercover, are stationed near traffic lights to enforce this initiative.
Hapugoda highlighted efforts to communicate these measures to drivers through video messages in Sinhala, Tamil, and English.
“We have tried rehabilitating them, and offering them jobs that pay 2,000-3,000 rupees (around £6.7) a day, but they ask us ‘Why would we want to do that when we earn 15,000–20,000 rupees (£40-£53) a day from begging?” said Hapugoda.
In the past week, 94 beggars were arrested and fined, as lengthy remand periods were not feasible. Many beggars, Hapugoda noted, resort to begging as full-time employment, often due to severe drug addiction. Measures are underway to rehabilitate such individuals.
