No prasad without PAN card

Devotees bidding for offerings at the Lalbaugcha Raja, worth Rs 20,000 or above, will have to furnish PAN card details

Devotees bidding for offerings at the Lalbaugcha Raja, worth Rs 20,000 or above, will have to furnish PAN card details

Acting on an income tax department directive, the management of Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal has made it mandatory for devotees, who wish to buy Lalbaugcha Raja offerings (worth Rs 20,000 or above) to furnish their pan card details.



"Earlier, we only noted the addresses and phone numbers of devotees, but now the IT department has made it compulsory to record the pan card details of any person buying offerings worth Rs 20,000 or above," said Sanjay Gadekar, treasurer of the Lalbaug Ganesh mandal.

Gadekar sternly added that the mandal may not permit devotees to buy the offerings, if they failed to furnish their pan card details.

Golden Haul: Volunteers counting gold offerings made to the Lalbaugcha Raja.

However, Bappa's devotees have accepted the mandal's decision with open arms. "We need to abide by the law.
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I don't mind furnishing a few details to get the prasad," said Pappu Jani, a gemologist by profession. Jani has been an active participant since 1992, and has bid for the offerings every year.

Collection

Auction: Today at 5pm-9pm (for three days)

Collection of coconuts:u00a05,000 sacks (2009) 5 lakh (2008)

Cash collected: Rs 4 crore, 58 lakh and 95 thousand (by Tuesday night) (2009) 4 crore 15 lakh (2008)

Gold ornaments: 8 1/2 kg (2009) 7 to 8 kg (2008)

Silver ornaments: 2009, Not counted yetu00a0125 kg (2008)