HYDERABAD: Ahead of Muharram, the Telangana State Waqf Board has released as much as Rs 29 lakh for minor repairs, renovation and refurbishment of basic amenities at 86 ashoorkhanas in the state.
While 21 institutions in the city received Rs 20 lakh, one each in the 31 districts received Rs 5,000 each. Ashoorkhana Khadme Rasool in Dabeerpura received the highest allocation of Rs 2.36 lakh. The fund allocations were based on the representations made by former MLC Syed Altaf Hyder Razvi, Waqf Board member Syed Nisar Hussain, Mir Hyder Ali Jaffery and others.
Earlier, on August 20, Shia Muslim organisations had written to the state government seeking grant-in-aid to ashoorkhanas as the caretakers were not able to meet the expenses. Much earlier, Anjuman-e-Mutawallian too had urged the state government to give more funds for the upkeep of the ashoorkhanas. In a letter to the Minority Welfare Board and the Waqf Board, SJA Nadeem said, “We have received a number of representations from caretakers and management committees of ashoorkhanas in Hyderabad and other places in the state, stating that they were unable to bear the expenses incurred during Muharram due to shortage of funds.”
Earlier, the government’s minority welfare department sanctioned Rs 50 lakh for repairs to Aza Khana Zehra, built by Nawab Osman Ali Khan at Darushifa, and Rs 4.50 lakh to Ashoorkhana Nale Mubarak at Pathergatti.