Jalpaiguri, Nov. 28: The district administration?s decision to grant pension to prostitutes over 60 years of age has been welcomed by prostitutes and AWARD, an NGO working for them.

The amount of Rs 500 will be given every month to aged prostitutes residing in the red light area in Dinbazar.

Subrata Sarkar, a social worker, had first taken the initiative to approach the administration with the proposal to grant old-age pension to prostitutes who were in penury. ?When I saw them spending their days on the streets and on the verandahs of houses in the red light area, I approached the administration. It was a heart rending to see them begging for food with nothing but rags to cover them. It was only after much hassle that we succeeded in persuading the administration to send the proposal to the state government,? Sarkar said.

There were 43 women in the red light area of Jalpaiguri who were older than 60. Sarkar, along with Manu Saha, the secretary of AWARD who is also a prostitute, had applied for pension for all of them.

?The officials were indifferent at first. But when they discovered that we were serious, they helped us. Funds, however, have been sanctioned for only 15 of them. But we are hopeful that the administration will take care of the remaining women too,? Saha said.

While Furubala Sarkar, Khudibala Das, Bina Seal, Hena Bibi can afford to hope of getting their pension during their lifetime, for Giribala, Manitala and Kamala the decision came too late. All three died when their applications were being processed.

Furubala, almost 90 now, said: ?We thank the government for helping us. From the time we started losing our youth, we had to give up our rooms and beg for our livelihood.?

Radharani?s ordeal reflects the plight of almost all of them. ?Whenever I used to approach people for the job of a maid servant, they used to inquire about my past. When I told them about myself, they were reluctant to recruit me. Of late, I had started begging in the Dinbazar area,? she said.

According to Sarkar, the scheme is probably the first of its kind in the state. ?Numerous NGOs work in the red light areas. They are concerned about control and prevention of HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases, but none of them had any schemes for aged prostitutes,? Sarkar said.

The social welfare department officials of Jalpaiguri admitted that the proposal has been sanctioned.