Hyderabad: Of the 7,000 Ashoorkhana in Telangana, the Wakf Board seems to be interested in only 23.
With Moharram beginning from October 3, members of the Shia community are upset that this year too, the government has not released any grants in advance for the white-washing, cleaning and setting up of water coolers in these places.
Only Rs 5 lakh has been granted which will be used for ensuring that the waste from outside the Ashoorkhanas – the ones only in the city, is cleared.
Mr Mir Hadi Ali, president of All India Shia Organisation, said, “The government has failed to understand that these buildings are mostly used by people only during Moharram. The repairs can be carried out during the rest of the year. But every year meagre funds are released and only cleaning works are carried out. Some buildings in Karimnagar, Adilabad and even Mahabubnagar are very old and require repairs. There is no proper planning. Despite representing the cases in detail, the condition of many buildings is very bad.”
Moharram is observed for 40 days, and when the government agencies do not carry out the works, it is mostly the local youth who take over the white-washing and cleaning works.
A senior official from the Wakf Board in the city said, “After bifurcation we have not compiled a proper list of Ashoorkhanas. This exercise has to be carried out to check which of the buildings are in good condition and which require repairs. As most of these places were donated during the time of the Nizam, there are allegations that many have homes.”
Also, the open spaces outside the Ashoorkhanas need to be protected because they have been encroached in many places not only in the city but also in districts, allege officers.
