Advisor to the Government of Telangana (SC, ST, BC, and Minorities) Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Friday directed the contractors not to reduce the size of Secretariat mosques further and ensure their protection by proper barricading.
Shabbir Ali, along with Minorities Welfare Department Secretary Syed Omer Jaleel and other senior officials, offered Friday prayers at the Secretariat mosque. He inspected the temporary sheds (pandal) erected in the open area adjacent to the mosque. He said these sheds would be kept till the end of the coming holy month of Ramzan, and they would be re-erected for all Friday prayers.
He said that the engineers and contractors have been asked not to carry out any construction activity further and to keep the open area for the use of mosques.
He pointed out that the previous BRS regime had reduced the size of Masjid Hashmi by more than half, now measuring 18 x 18 feet. Similarly, the size of Masjid-e-Moatamadi has been reduced to 48 x 48 feet from its original dimensions of 100 x 60 feet, drastically impacting its capacity from 500 to a mere 180-200 worshippers.
Therefore, temporary sheds have been erected in the open area of the mosque to accommodate more worshippers during Ramzan and on all Fridays. He also inspected other facilities like the Wuzu Khana, toilets, parking and other arrangements.
He informed that Taraveeh prayers would be offered in the Secretariat mosques during the month of Ramzan.
Shabbir Ali said that the previous BRS regime had illegally demolished two mosques – Masjid Hashmi and Masjid-e-Moatamadi in July 2020 to facilitate the construction of a new Secretariat. It not only relocated the mosques but reduced their size significantly. The then R&B Minister had instructed the contractor to keep the mosque premises confined to the four walls.
However, he said that the present Congress government ensured that the open areas attached to the new mosques, temple and church are allowed to be used by the respective places of worship for prayer-related activities.
