Barricaded by diversions,Mansa Devi temple prasad vendors see sales drop by 90% during Navratras

He said that sales dropped by as much as 90 per cent during Navratri and even though the shops remain open around the clock they see just a handful of visitors. “The prices in the mela stalls are higher than in our shops but there is no regulation on prices or quality for them. They sell almost at double prices and are around 100 in number. On a regular day,I sell anywhere between Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 worth of prasad,but during Navratri sales drop to just Rs 1,000,” said Dharam Pal from Choudhary Prasad Bhandar.

Stall owners at the mela,however,express the fear that they may not be able to recover their investments this year. “There is lack of administration,as sometimes people from the colony wheel their rehri inside or just squat on the floor and start selling. On the other hand,we have to set up the tents ourselves and maintain cleanliness,otherwise we would be subject to interrogation by the temple authorities,” said Shiv Kumar,who has been running a stall here for the past 10 years.

He said they have recorded daily sales worth Rs 8,000 so far this season. Stall keepers also say that the auctioning of the booths twice,and at different prices,has led to bad blood between shop keepers. “The number of stalls this time are more than previous years and the rent is more,around a Rs 1 lakh for some. Because of increased competition,the sellers are literally resorting to pulling visitors inside,” said Dhanwantri Sharma,who owns five stalls here.