RSS volunteers help GB Road sex workers with rations and daily need items

Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 4

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Sex workers in Delhi’s oldest red-light area on the “GB Road” have also been hit by the carnivorous lockdown.

They are not getting any support from the government or for that matter any NGO, they told the RSS functionaries, who have now stepped forward to help them with rations and daily need items during the corona crisis.

According to the joint secretary of the RSS Delhi unit, Anil Gupta, Sangh affiliates are running helplines for students, disabled, general-public, and people from the Northeast to help them in these difficult times.

On one such helpline, which runs by Sangh affiliate, Sewa Bharti, a distress call was received from the GB Road.

“We are receiving thousands of calls every day on these four helplines. One of these calls was related to the condition of sex workers at the GB Road.

“Acting upon this call, we coordinated with our ‘behan karyakartas’ (Sevika Samiti cadres) and prepared a list of 986 sex workers and divided them into 250 pairs according to their location”, said Gupta.

“Wheat flour, rice, spices, oil and other essential items, that will last them for eight to ten days, has been distributed among the sex workers and their families”, said Sangh functionaries.

“Many told us they are not getting any support from the government or for that matter the NGO. We will contact them again after a week and if required give them rations and items of daily need,” they added.

Officially known as Swami Shradhanand Marg, the GB Road (Garstin Bastion Road), runs between Ajmeri Gate and Lahori Gate in the old Delhi area.

The road is lined with two or three-storey buildings, that have shops on the groundfloor. Some of these buildings have a brothel that opens after the shops at groundlevel shut down for the night.