Saturday, April 30 2005 10:54 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Girija Vyas yesterday (Apr 29, 2005) demanded rehabilitation of 75,000 bar dancers in Maharashtra, who were facing crisis in the face of ban clamped on them by the State Government.

''Nearly 75,000 bar dancers cannot remain isolated from the society, they need proper rehabilitation by the State Government,'' Vyas told reporters in Kolkata yesterday.

Replying to a question, the NCW chief said that the Government should talk to them before taking any stern steps.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R R Patil said earlier that implementation of the ban on dance bars in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, would take some time as the Government was seeking legal opinion on the issue.

He said that 307 dance bars had been served with notices for action on violation of various rules, after complaints were received against them.