Videos/Photos: Gold worth Crores missing from Saibaba Temple`Shirdi

[rOhit beHaL]

- GOLD WORTH CRORES MISSING FROM SAIBABA TEMPLE`SHIRDI -
03rd April 2013

The Sai Baba shrine at Shirdi receives hundred kilograms of Gold/Silver articles from millions of devotees,
rich and poor, in the form of Gold crown, Gold throne, Gold utensils and other articles made of Gold.

But information received by an RTI activist reveals
 that around 15 kilograms of gold has vanished over the years in course of melting gold articles.

 RTI activist Sanjay Kale has stumbled upon information that the shrine had collected more than 300 kilograms of gold since 1922,
and from 2008 - 2012, the donated gold articles were sent to Mumbai for melting thrice, taking it to a total of 110 kilograms.

1) In 2008, 19 kg of Gold articles were melted, incurring a loss of 1.5 kg.
2) In 2009, 53 kg Gold articles were melted incurring a loss of 5 kg.
3) In 2012, 37 kg Gold articles worth Rs 11.4 crore was melted incurring a loss of 5 kg.
(Besides the Gold/Silver already sent to melted, the Sai Trust still has 250 kg of Gold & 2500 kg of Silver in its custody)

Gold that is melted in Mumbai is then converted into gold coins by the temple trust and sold to devotees as memorabilia.





THE RULES:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqXxHdouTNY[/youtube]

1) When Gold/Silver donations go over 10kgs, the excess should be Auctioned.
2) Any Special Gold/Silver offerings should not be Auctioned.
3) The Auction should take place on Thursdays, Sundays or during Vijayadashami and Guru Poornima only.
4)The Bidding price of the articles being auctioned should start form 10 times their original value.
5) If any Gold/Silver articles fail to get their proper price, then they should be put up for auction for the second time.
6) During the second auction also, if the articles fail to get their deserving price, then they should be melted & turned into Coins.
7) For Melting the coins, the Gold/Silver has to be sent to Mumbai in vehicles under armed police escort.
8 ) Atleast 2 Trustees of the Temple & 1 Government appointed Officer has to be present in the strong room
9) and in their presence only all the Gold/Silver has to be sealed into boxes.
10) Then the Trustees and the Govt. Officer should escort the Gold/Silver all the way to Mumbai.
11) The seal of all the Gold/Silver Boxes are to opened infront of the Trustees & the Govt. Officer.

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THE ALLEGATIONS:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiFbD6OmgC0[/youtube]

According to the RTI report by Mr.Sanjay Kale,
1) None of the above rules were followed by Shirdi Sansthans previously dissolved Managing Committee
nor by the Mumbai High Court's newly appointed Managing Committee.
2) Also there was no auction since 2009 until the end of 2012.
3) The Trust had kept with it more than 10% of Gold which adds up to more than 30% Gold in 3 years.
4) He questions how the loss of gold could be more than 10 per cent in three years.
5) He now plans to write to the Chief Minister as well ask for an CBI investigation into this case.

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THE RESPONSE OF SHIRDI SAI SANSTHAN:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG31vRQaPCY[/youtube]

Shri.Yashwant Mane, deputy executive officer of Shirdi Sai Sansthan said that:
1) The report of major loss while melting gold articles was misleading and baseless.  
2) Not all Gold offerings made by devotees are 24 Karats, some are 18 karat, some are 22 karat also.
So for them to be converted into 24 karat Gold Coins, they have to be purified first by the process of Refining,
in which all the impurities mixed in the Gold get removed and thus the decrease in weight of the total Gold.
3) He claimed that the process of preserving gold donated to the shrine was transparent.































"Truth, like gOld,
is tO be Obtained nOt by its grOwth,
but,
by washing away frOm it all that is nOt gOld."
..........LeO tOlstOy






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