• No adequate facilities to house vagrants: Police

The Automobile Association of Ceylon (AAC) has recently written to the Inspector General of the Police C.D. Wickramaratne, requesting him to take prompt measures to prevent vagrants from disrupting traffic and harassing motorists, The Daily Morning learns.

It is learnt that there have been many complaints about vagrants moving in an unsafe manner near traffic lights in Colombo City and harassing motorists.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (11), AAC Secretary Devapriya Hettiarachchi said that the association had written to the IGP urging action against vagrants who begged near the traffic lights in Colombo City, disturbing the vehicles and other road users.

“These vagrants move in an unsafe manner, disturbing drivers while the red lights are on. Once the light turns green, they don’t allow the vehicles to go. They fall upon the bonnets of the cars and pretend that the drivers have knocked them down and ask for compensation.” Hettiarachchi charged.

He said that the association would meet President Ranil Wickremesinghe and discuss this issue with him. “We will meet the President as soon as possible regarding this and urge prompt action against these vagrants who linger near traffic lights. Moreover, some traffic officers do not get involved in this issue even while the vagrants disturb the vehicles when the traffic light is green.”

Accordingly, he urged Traffic Police officers to enforce punishment or to ensure that motorists were not impeded.

According to Police Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa, the Police arrested such vagrants and moved them to rehabilitation centres.

However, SSP Thalduwa added: “The Police do arrest such beggars and send them to rehabilitation centres, but the issue is that there is no space for them in such centres. Even though the officers arrest them, we don’t have any place to detain them. This is the only issue. Otherwise, the Police will arrest them.”