Samrat International, a cultural organisation which is organising a Holi Milan on Sunday in the heart of Panaji has issued an advertisement in local newspapers offering bhang to revellers at attractive prices. What is more, the promoters of the function have managed to invite senior bureaucrats for the show.

The advertisement invites people for the Holi Milan by promising discipline at the event. ``Ladies are offered gulal only on their hands with the brotherhood greetings and pleasant smile (sic)," says the advertisement.

Dilip Dharwadkar, vice-president, Samrat International, confirmed that bhang would be sold to the revellers. "Our bhang is milder than the one sold in Uttar Pradesh," Dharwadkar said. However, when this correspondent pointed out that sale of bhang is banned under the Narcotic Drugs andPsychotropic Substances Act, he said bhang may not be sold at the venue, after all.

Incidentally, the cultural body is organising the Holi Milan for the fifth consecutive year on Sunday. "We never had any problems with the sale of bhang in the earlier years," Dharwadkar said.

Officials of the anti-narcotics cell are aware of the advertisements published on Thursday but are yet to take action. "Let us first find them selling bhang, then we can arrest them," said Inspector L Mamlatdar of the anti-narcotics cell. According to him, people selling bhang can get conviction terms between 10 and 20 years under the NDPS Act.

Senior Indian Administrative Service officer M N Buch, who was recently appointed here as advisor to the Governor, almost agreed to be the chief guest at the Holi Milan, till the proposed sale of bhang was pointed out to him. "It is ridiculous that someone wants to sell bhang in public,'' he said.

Though bhang is freelyavailable in certain places like the port town of Vasco, nobody has been arrested for selling it. "We have not arrested anyone for selling bhang over the last year," Inspector Mamlatdar said.