Hyderabad: It seems that officials of the Department of Minority Welfare (DMW) are least concerned about the maintenance of historical mosques under their charge.
The officials are not bothered about the inconvenience caused to the devotees and the management of these historical mosques.
Renovation and maintenance work of the historical Makkah Masjid is going on at snail pace. Due to non release of the budget the contractors are not in a position to speed up the work. Many reminders in this regard fell on deaf ears as no efforts are being made to solve the issues pointed out nor the budgets are being released for the maintenance work.
Similarly there are no employees in Shahi Masjid in public gardens. No new appointments were made at the place of those employees who have retired. As a result the mosque’s Khatib, Imam and Muezzin are forced to perform miscellaneous duties.
In Shahi Masjid, there are approved posts vacant for manager, sweeper, cleaner and Kamati (Helper). There are a number of other issues faced by this historic mosque.
In spite of being in a sensitive area, Shahi Masjid has no security guard. Unlike Mecca Masjid, there are no home guards or security men appointed in the mosque. As a result the stray dogs are found roaming not only in the Courtyard but also inside the mosque in the wee hours.
Mecca Masjid and Shahi Masjid are directly under the charge of the Department of Minority Welfare. The apathy in the care and maintenance of these historical mosques by DMW officials is highly regrettable.
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