Navratri may lose some of its lustre, primarily for the moneyed, if the state government has its way. The state revenue minister, Narayan Rane, has plans to levy taxes on Navratri passes, starting next year.

However, Mukesh Gandhi, president of the Navratri Mahasangh who leads the Shiv Sena's Gujarati wing, is opposed such a tax. ``I know Balasaheb Thackrey and Narayan Rane very well. I am 100 per cent sure that they will not levy any taxes on the Navratri passes,'' he said. According to him, the Navratri mandals should volunteer to donate a share of the profit if the government persisted with the taxes next year.

BJP MLA and president of Navratri Mahamandal, Kirit Somaiya, has no complaints regarding the proposed tax. ``We are open for discussions on a general policy,'' he said. Not just Navratri passes but even the one-day garba programmes aimed at profits should be given a thought to, according to Somaiya.

Meanwhile, Mumbai-based Pradeep Bhawnani has filed awrit petition in the Bombay High Court today saying that all activities connected with Navratri celebrations should be taxed. The next hearing of the petition is scheduled for September 24.

Onion imports within a week

The first consignment of 250 tonnes of onions imported from Dubai is expected to land in the Mumbai port within a week.

According to the manager of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), S M Pillai, the Dubai branch of the NAFED has already booked 20 containers to ship the first consignment to Mumbai. Each container would contain 12.5 tonnes of onions of Iranian origin, bought from the Dubai free port.

The landed cost of the onions would be around Rs 14 per kilo. However, by the time the commodity reaches the consumer, its price might go up to Rs 18 per kilo.