Goa Lottery: Thousands Throng Quepem For Ganeshotsav Lottery Tickets

An unprecedented crowd of over 10,000 people descended on the Quepem Public Ganeshotsav Mandal grounds in South Goa on Sunday to purchase lottery tickets for the upcoming Ganeshotsav festival. The rush was so heavy that the makeshift platform from which the tickets were being sold collapsed, injuring several people.

The organizers of the lottery were forced to call off the sale and reschedule it for Monday. The sale venue has also been changed to the auditorium of the Government College in Quepem.

"We did not anticipate such a large turnout," said Suresh Naik, one of the organizers. "We had made arrangements for around 5,000 people, but the crowd was much larger than that."

The chaos began early in the morning, when people began lining up outside the grounds. By the time the sale began at 10am, the queue had stretched for over a kilometer.

As the crowd grew impatient, some people began climbing the makeshift platform. This led to the platform collapsing, injuring several people.

The police were called in to control the crowd, but they were unable to do so. The sale was eventually called off and rescheduled for Monday.

The lottery tickets are highly sought-after due to the attractive prizes. The 11 four-wheeled vehicles include a Toyota Fortuner, a Hyundai Creta, and a Maruti Suzuki Swift. There are also several two-wheeled vehicles, such as a Honda Activa and a Hero Splendor.

The lottery is being held to raise funds for the upcoming Ganeshotsav festival. The festival is a major event in Quepem town and attracts thousands of people from all over Goa.

The organizers have apologised for the inconvenience caused and have promised to take steps to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.

In addition to the prizes, the lottery also offers a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh to the winner of the first prize. The second prize is Rs. 50,000 and the third prize is Rs. 25,000. There are also several consolation prizes.

The lottery tickets are priced at Rs. 100 each and can be purchased from the Mandal grounds or from authorised agents. The sale of tickets will continue until August 31.

The lucky draw for the lottery will be held on September 10 at the Mandal grounds.