Demanding that the bar dancers in Maharashtra, who lost their jobs following the government ban, be rehabilitated immeditately, chairman of National Commission for Women Girija Vyas said Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has assured swift action in this regard.

"I met Deshmukh and Bar Dancers' Association recently and discussed the issue in detail," Vyas said at a press conference in Jaipur on Monday.

A peep into Mumbai's dance bars

Atleast 75,000 women working in bars as dancers were rendered jobless by the Maharashtra's unilateral decision, she said adding before taking such an extreme step, the state government should have held a dialogue with the Dance Bar Association.

"He assured me of rehabilitating them at the earliest," Vyas said.

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When asked about the commission's opinion on whether dance bars should run, Vyas refused to be drawn into a controversy saying, "It is debatable. I have no comment on it. I am more worried about their rehabilitation as most of them are earning livelihood of members of families."

"Whether dancing in bar was legitimate or illegitimate, it was to be discussed separately on other fora," she added.

Images: Life of bar girls

When reminded that Congress MP Sunil Dutt had favoured running dance bars, Vyas said "it is his (Dutt's) opinion."

"I can say there should be no vulgarity at any level whether it is modelling or any other profession being adopted by women in the society," Vyas said.

Vyas said she had met many such woman and many of them were skilled and moderately educated women, and the state government in Maharashtra could rehabilitate them according to their skills.