Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has prepared a roadmap to make the State capital free of beggars by rehabilitating the people involved in begging in the city. Moreover, BMC is also planning to shift homeless and destitute people to shelter homes.
According to sources, BMC will initiate a drive under which it will identify the beggars in the city and shift them to shelter homes. It will attempt to make them self-reliant by launching various programmes.
BMC Commissioner Prem Chandra Choudhury informed that plans are underway to set up 100-beded rehabilitation centres at all regional offices in the city.
These rehabilitation centres will be operated by professional organisations, sources in BMC said.
In December last year, BMC had started process to make ‘Ekamra Kshetra’, heritage hub of Temple City beggar-free.
The civic body had started to make efforts to rehabilitate beggars/destitutes roaming near Lingaraj temple with livelihood support and bring them to mainstream under the ‘Sahaya’ scheme of Odisha government.
The initiative was a part of the beautification and developmental work of Ekamra Kshetra Amenities and Monumental Revival Action (EKAMRA) Plan.
The administration had deployed Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and government officials in identifying beggars and shifting them to shelter homes.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)