It's a letter which has provoked heated debate -- social conscience versus harsh reality. And if it's kicked off a storm in Maharashtra, then trust Governor Mohammad Fazal to be bang in the centre of it. In a letter to Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Fazal has suggested that prostitution be legalised. Citing laws which have failed to curb prostitution, Fazal expresses concern over the health of sex workers and gives a four-point agenda to legalise the trade -- registration of brothels, protection for sex workers, segregation of children from prostitutes and access to health education and marriage bureaux.

It would seem all the commercial sex workers at Grant Road are in favour of legalising the trade.

In a small, dingy room there, six girls are waiting for customers. Amma (54), who manages the finances, is uneasy since there's been no customer today.

Originally from Kerala, Amma came to Mumbai after marriage but the death of her alcoholic husband forced her to enter the flesh trade. "I tried to do odd jobs, but it didn't help," she says.

With two daughters married off, Amma's biggest worry is that the brothel will be shut down again, as in the past. Sitting next to her is Vidya (27), a resident of Kolkata, who's in the trade to support her two children back home. "I tried to work as a domestic help, but all my male employers sexually assaulted me," she explains. She's the only earning member of her family, a sum of around Rs 3,500 a month is not enough as part of this goes to cops and pimps.

The case of Ragini (29) is telling. She recently underwent a heart valve operation, for which her CSW friends contributed money. "I have a sister in Kolkata to support," she says. "If the home minister gives me a job of Rs 5,000 a month, I'll quit this profession." "We can have fixed rates, proper health facilities and, the constant harassment by pimps and goons will stop," says Amma.