Howrah station and its adjoining bus terminus have become a hotbed of flesh-traders and hooch-sellers, especially after dark. Local sources say business peaks after 10 pm every night, and continues till the early hours of the next day.
Bottles of alcohol, priced at Rs 44 and Rs 65, are sold for Rs 60 and Rs 80, respectively, while country liquor goes for Rs 4 a glass.There’s no haggling, as is the case with the pimps.
Police, however, claim the situation is well under control. “We conduct daily checks. The rate of crime has dropped and fewer criminals are getting caught,” asserted L.N. Meena, additional superintendent of police (town).
Police and Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) officials joined hands in October last year to check the flourishing flesh trade in the area, and even sealed a hotel in the Golabari police station area.
“All the hotels in that pocket are licensed by the HMC. If the police are tipped off about any illegal activity in any hotel, they inform us and our officials join them on raids. If the information is true, we revoke the hotel’s licence,” explained Howrah mayor Gopal Mukherjee.
Apart from a few hotels in the zone, the bus terminus is a haven for sex workers, even by day. Confirming the situation, Rahul Chatterjee of the inter and intra-region bus association said: “The police and the local people, along with some social organisations, will have to take the initiative to work seriously if the rampant flesh trade is to be checked. We have arranged for security guards to patrol the bus bays. That, at least, will prevent passengers from being harassed.”