Shirdi admn seals three shops for overcharging devotees on pooja items

PUNE: The Shirdi Municipal Council (SMC) along with Shirdi police sealed three shops in the temple town for selling pooja items at inflated prices to devotees visiting the revered Sai Baba Temple.

According to officials, several complaints were received from devotees regarding exorbitant pricing of essential pooja items such as flowers, coconuts, incense sticks, and prasad. Acting on these complaints, the municipal authorities conducted an inspection and found that some shopkeepers were charging unreasonably high rates, taking advantage of pilgrims.

Following the inspection, three shops were identified for violating fair trade practices and immediately sealed.

A senior official from the Shirdi Municipal Council stated, “Devotees come to Shirdi for spiritual purposes, and taking undue advantage of their faith by overpricing religious items is unacceptable. Strict action will be taken against any shop engaging in such malpractices.”

Municipal council’s chief officer Satish Dighe told that sale of items on premises of the Sai baba temple is banned as per the court guidelines. “It is also found that many shopkeepers are selling pooja related items at inflated rates hence we have taken action,” he said.

Dighe said a meeting will soon be called to finalise the guidelines so that it will be easier for all stakeholders.

The municipal authorities have warned vendors and shopkeepers to adhere to fair pricing policies and maintain transparency in their dealings. Pilgrims have also been urged to report any instances of overcharging to authorities.

Officials have assured that regular inspections will be conducted to prevent such incidents in the future.