Beggars mock 'Incredible India' slogan

The phrase, ‘Incredible India’ coined by the government to attract the attention of the world to the splendour, beauty and the culture of the country.

Seemingly, the government has concentrated too hard on attracting the attention of the world and neglecting the people of the country, especially the beggars.

The beggars not only harass the tourists for alms, but lately, this harassment has turned into torment.

The beggars somehow escape the eyes of the police department at the many historical places and literally chase the tourists, some even running after the auto-rickshaws ferrying them. The beggars even chase the tourists inside the Andhra Pradesh Tourisms buses.

 With the currency exchange rate of the Indian Rupee being lower than that of many developed nations, the tourists hand over more money to the beggars than the locals.

As many as 400 to 500 foreign visitors come to see the Charminar each day, making it the preferred destination for tourists and beggars alike.

The tourists come to see the historic Charminar, while the beggars come to target easy money.

International tourists are not the only ones to become the beggars’ target.

Sandeep Shukla from Rajasthan said that, “I came here to see the historical Hyderabad city and had stopped at the Charminar along with my family and my friend who is a native here. The moment I stepped foot from the car, I was surrounded by the beggars who did not let me through till I gave them some money.”

A visitor from Delhi, Sheela Tandon told INN, “Delhi which has many historical places and tourism spots is not plagued by the beggar menace to this extent. Even the Taj Mahal in Agra is free of beggars.” “I wish the government would do something to curb the menace, otherwise I for one would not want to get harassed again,” Tandon adds.

Vandana, a beggar claimed that if she targets the foreign tourists, she gets more money. “I earn between 300-400 rupees a day, sometimes some tourists even hand me foreign currency,” Vandana adds.