Social Welfare Minister Mangat Ram Singhal told IANS that these beggars had served their prison sentences. Efforts were on to detain another 600 beggars before the October Games. He said that he had asked for a weekly report on the drive against begging.
The Indian capital is reportedly home to over 60,000 beggars, and getting them off the streets is proving to be a cat and mouse game for the authorities. The Tahirpur beggars home, with a capacity for 1,200, is under renovation. Toilets are being readied for more beggars as the drive is intensified.
The anti-begging drive is focussed in areas such as the New Delhi railway station, Connaught Place, India Gate and Khan Market. The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, allows police to detain anyone found begging on the streets.