HYDERABAD: After each inspection at Mecca Masjid, the deadline for the completion of the restoration at the iconic mosque seems to extend further. Now, after the inspection on Wednesday that was led by Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, officials say that the works are going to end next year.
The reasons for the delay, they say, are manifold. Firstly, officials during inspection found that wiring at the mosque was hampering the conservation efforts. So to tackle it, the wiring to has been made part of the restoration. “The electrical work too has to be taken by the conservators, to make sure everything goes hand in hand,” an official told Express.
Secondly, drainage works are also going to be taken up, and minority department officials are mulling over taking the help of GHMC for the same. Thirdly, the main gate still needs two months of work for it to get completed, and lastly, the renovation of the madrasa in the mosque complex is also going to be taken up soon.
“The work definitely is going to take more time,” an official said. “Lime takes a lot of time to form, and also the rainy season too played its part in the delay,” he said. Apart from that, four of the 16 domes at the mosque have been restored till now, and in the future, six more will have to be taken up.
As of now, works have completed at the maqbara, which houses the tombs of the Asaf Jahi kings. The official also informed that the roofs have been restored. Apart from Owaisi, Minorities Welfare Department Director Shahnawaz Qasim, Minorities Dept Advisor AK Khan, conservation architect Shrinivas Sulge, and superintendent of Mecca Masjid too attended the inspection.