Stone laid for mosques at new secretariat complex

Hyderabad: The foundation for re-construction of two mosques in the vicinity of new secretariat complex was laid by prominent clerics on Thursday, five months after they were pulled down during demolition of the old buildings in July 2020. There were two mosques in the complex including Masjid-e-Mohtammadi Jamia, popularly known as Secretariat mosque and Masjid-e-Hashmi.

The foundation was laid by Vice-chancellor of Jamia Nizamia Maulana Mufti Khaleel Ahmed and city's Ulema-Mashaeq in the presence of Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, State Waqf Board chairman Mohammed Saleem, AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi and other leaders of TRS and AIMIM.

After the ceremony the delegations offered namaz. However, it was kept simple and the public was not allowed in view of the construction of the new complex.

For the mosques the government has allotted 1,500 sq yards which will be re-built at a cost of Rs 2.9 crore. Ali said the government will fulfil its promises and the mosques would be among the most beautiful in the country; construction would start as the earliest. Chief Minister KCR had promised to re-build the place of worship on more spacious sites and at the government's cost. On September 5, he announced that the government will re-build the mosques and a temple along with a church in the new complex.

However, TS&AP JAC convener Mushtaq Malik has raised a question over the missing of Quran and prayer mats present in two mosques. "I welcomed the sudden decision of laying of foundation, but I question the missing of religious books and mats which were present during the razing of mosques."

He quoted the CM as having said that he will lay foundation for all three places of worship on the same day in true spirit of communal harmony for which Telangana is known, but mosque foundation was laid in his absence, which could have been done several months before. He said, "still there is no tender for the re-construction of mosques and only the foundation ceremony was held to calm Muslims. Muslims demand to complete the tender call and start the re-construction at the earliest," he demanded.