Retired school teacher forcibly taken to rehabilitation centre for beggars in Puri, family alleges demand of Rs 10000 to release the elderly woman

Puri, March 10: In a shocking incident, an elderly woman was allegedly forcibly taken to the Niladri Nilayas or rehabilitation centre for beggars in the town on Sunday. The family members of the elderly woman identified as Dinamani who is also a retired teacher also alleged the rehabilitation centre employees of demanding Rs 10000 to release her. Debraj Mohanty, the nephew of the elderly woman said that Dinamani had been to the Jagannath temple on Sunday but did not return home. “We searched foe her and finally found her in a rehabilitation centre at Sarbodaya Nagar. The employees of the centre, however, demanded Rs 10000 to release her. I later took the help of a lawyer and went the centre again but they continued to misbehave with us,” alleged Debraj. {"align":"center","id":30072,"sizeSlug":"large"} The retired teacher too alleged that she was forcibly taken to the rehabilitation centre. “I was having abhada at the temple when few people reached and asked me to sit in a vehicle. Though I denied of being a beggar they took me to the shelter home,” alleged Dinamani who is currently getting Rs 13000 as monthly pension. The Puri District Administration on March 3 has launched ‘Niladri Nilaya Yojana’ to make the city beggar free.  A total of eight Niladri Nilayas or rehabilitation centres for beggars is currently functioning in Puri district. The Niladri Nilaya Yojana in the district has been launched with assistance from the Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (SSEPD) department. Apart from providing food and shelter facilities, the district administration will take steps to bring the beggars to the mainstream society. Worth mentioning, SSEPD Minister Ashok Chandra Panda had earlier informed Assembly that Puri has 366 beggars.