NEW DELHI: The archaeology department of the Delhi government may facilitate the restoration of the 17th century Fatehpuri Masjid. Several of its intriguing architectural features including dome, minarets, and gateways are degenerating and need urgent repair.
Senior government officials, aware of the state of the historic mosque, said a meeting of the stakeholders would be called next week to explore modalities for the conservation of the structure for which funds could be arranged from the revenue department.
“The special secretary of arts, culture, and language department attended a meeting held last month convened on the issue by Delhi’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Imran Hussain. There was a proposal to set up a corpus by the revenue department to carry out restoration and repair of heritage properties under the Delhi Waqf Board. The proposal can be revived and funds are made available for Fatehpuri Masjid,” said the official.
Bureaucratic technicalities and lack of interest shown by the stakeholders led to the shelving of the project for conservation of Waqf Board’s heritage buildings and setting aside funds for the same proposed in June-July 2018. On November 16, The Morning Standard (TMS) reported on extensive damage to the mosque, which was built by Fatehpuri Begum, a special consort of Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1650.
Expressing his concern over the mosque, Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid Mufti Mukarram Ahmed appealed to authorities to take up refurbishment as soon as possible. “No one has approached the management yet but I am certain that the authorities will heed as the coronavirus crisis in the city subsides,” Ahmed.
Last Month, Hussain deliberated over the poor condition of the mosque with the representatives of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), North Delhi Municipal Corporation (North MCD), arts and culture department and Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. He had assured if the rules permit he would arrange funds from private individuals for the restoration.
In November 2019, chairman of the DWB Amanatullah Khan announced that the restoration of the mosque would begin within a month. He even inspected the site and added that the board would bear the entire cost of restoring the religious building. However, the project didn’t take off. Despite attempts, Khan couldn’t be reached for a comment.
Extensive damage to the mosque
On November 16, The Morning Standard reported about extensive damage to the mosque, which was built by Fatehpuri Begum, a special consort of Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1650.