Bhubaneswar, Sept. 9: Members of two puja committees clashed over the collection of donations in front of Kharavela Nagar police station today.

Though no one was arrested in connection with the clash, sources said it followed an altercation between the two groups over the areas they were supposed to collect donations from.

Police intervened and calmed down the people, who later dispersed.

The twin city police have asked people to report incidents of forceful collection of donations by dialling 100.

A police official said that so far no such incidents have been reported.

“However, such incidents are likely to occur during the upcoming Durga Puja. We hope that residents will report such cases,” said a senior police official.

In September 2011, the Saheed Nagar police had arrested five persons for indulging in violence over collection of puja donations in the local market.

More than 60 youths from Rasulgarh, armed with sharp weapons and hockey sticks, had ransacked the market following an argument over collection of donations.

Though most of the puja committees deny that they forcibly collect donations from people, city residents allege that they are usually asked to cough up unreasonable amounts as donation.

“The donations should be made voluntarily. Nowadays, people are asked to make donations for every puja although only handful of festivals, such as Durga puja and Kali puja, are celebrated in a big way,” said Hemant Samal, a resident of Rasulgarh.

In the past couple of years, a number of puja committees here have switched to raffle counters instead of simply asking people for donations.

The counters, which are managed by various puja committees and local clubs, sell coupons ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 20. The prizes, which are distributed through a lucky draw, sometimes include cars and motorcycles.

“We all know that pujas cannot be held without donations from residents. But we shouldn’t be forced to pay hefty amounts,” said Deepak Behera, another city resident.

However, the puja committees denied the charges and said donations were received voluntarily.

“We have been celebrating many pujas over the years, but each time we ensure that all the donations are made voluntarily,” said Pabitra Mohan Behera, president of Nayapalli Durga Puja Samiti.