Hyderabad: The two children of mutawalli (caretaker) Nasreen, 11, and Sohail, 7, were critically injured after a wall at the Hussaini Alam Ashoorkhana collapsed and are undergoing treatment at the Osmania General Hospital. Other members of the family were in the rooms on the ground floor, in the compound. The wall that collapsed was the entrance area to the Ashoorkhana, which has a huge compound, an ablution pond and the main building where prayers are said during Muharram.
Mir Firasat Ali Baqri said, “The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Commissioner’s (GHMC) office had given a notice in February 2014 stating that the wall was weak and would collapse. Despite that, they failed to vacate it. At the same time, Rs 30 lakh had been sanctioned for repair of the whole area of Hussaini Alam but the works were never carried out. Where has the money gone?”
Municipal commissioner Somesh Kumar and senior officers visited the area after the mishap on Sunday and said that notices had been given to the owners to vacate twice but there had been no response from them.
The Ashoorkhana is located in Barah Galli; the road is very narrow and the wall collapsed on the road. Meanwhile, the BJP State Minority Morcha has demanded that the injured children be shifted to corporate hospitals for better treatment.
Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali visited the children at the hospital and declared an ex gratia of '2 lakh each for the deceased and also gave '50,000 for the funeral from his own salary.
Members of the community were not happy. Mr Diyanath Ali Khan said, “The Ashoorkhanas require repairs. It is important that the Wakf board takes up the works seriously. Had proper protocol been followed, this incident could have been avoided. Thousands of people throng the Ashoorkhanas during Moharram. Most of the structures are old and in a dilapidated condition, there is a need for carrying out proper repairs and ensuring stability of the structures.”
