The sex workers handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to district collector Anil Kawade at an event organized by NGO Snehalaya in Ahmednagar, about 250km from here.

"These women were restless since the last four days, when they came to know of the deluge in Chennai. They decided that they should do something to help residents there," Snehalaya founder Girish Kulkarni told PTI.

"They said such a great calamity has befallen Tamil Nadu and they needed to contribute to the relief work. They set aside this amount by saving and even had just one meal in a day," he said.

"Of the around 3,000 sex workers in the district, in western Maharashtra, almost 2,000 contributed to the relief fund," he said.

"We are in touch with Delhi-based NGO Goonj for ensuring further relief to the people of Chennai," Kulkarni added.