Agents misusing online booking provision to sell darshan slots at Siddhivinayak

An agent (left) approaches a mid-day reporter offering to sell QR codes for darshan; (right) the QR code sold by the agent. Pics/Shadab Khan

Despite only online booking of darshan slots allowed at Siddhivinayak Temple in view of the COVID-19 guidelines, a number of agents are found selling QR codes for darshan right outside the temple premises for Rs 300-Rs 500. A mid-day team visited the temple on Wednesday to find out how this is happening.

As per rules, online booking for darshan slots opens on every Thursday at 7 am and closes at 7 pm and one can book a slot for any day of the following week. Generally, around 84,000 such passes are booked for each week. When the mid-day team tried to book a slot, no slots were available.

Upon arriving at the temple, the security guard asked for QR code and in the absence of it did not let the team enter the premises. However, soon after, a number of people approached the team to ask if they wanted to buy QR codes for darshan and quoted Rs 700 for two people. After negotiation, the agent sold two QR codes for Rs 500 codes and asked the team to enter the temple using one of the lines. Surprisingly, the security guard did not ask to see the QR codes this time. The team members were then stopped for carrying flowers and sweets and were told that those were not allowed inside the temple premises. But after entering, the team found a few devotees standing in queue with offerings. When the team checked with the security guard, he said that the devotees in question had bought Rs 1,500-pass, which allows the same. The team also approached those devotees who said they bought the QR code from outside the temple.

Upon investigation, the mid-day team found there was no proper mechanism in place to check or scan the QR codes or to see if the people who are entering are the ones who booked the slots. Siddhivinayak Temple Trust Executive Officer Nanda Raut-Khule said, "We received complaints that some people were selling entry passes and we took action against the same. We found that many people were booking slots and selling the passes outside the temple. We are taking measures to check identities of those visiting with those booking the slots to ensure this does not happen."

Aadesh Bandekar, president of the trust, said, "We put boards outside and inside the temple premises asking devotees not to buy passes from anyone. We urge them to book passes online, on Thursday and take free Darshan."