CM reassures Muslims of all-round development

- Lays foundation stone for the building which will house both Haj House and Shadi Khana in the city
- Promises to facilitate operation of flights between Vijayawada and Jeddah for the benefit of Haj pilgrims

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone on Wednesday for the construction of Haj House and Shadi Khana (one building) at a cost of Rs 10.5 crore at the Vijayawada West Railway Station.

He visited the Old City second time in three months to address the local Muslims. TDP MLA Jaleel Khan had arranged the event to observe the first death anniversary of former President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Addressing a gathering, the Chief Minister said that he is committed to the welfare and development of Muslims . The existing Musaffir Khana, where marriages were being performed since six decades, but now, it’s unable to cater to the needs of local Muslims. Considering this, a G+3 building would be constructed for performing marriages. The marriage hall would be constructed to accommodate 1,000 people and 11 guest rooms would be constructed in the G+3 building.

He said that the government would try to operate flights from Vijayawada to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to perform Haj. He said that the government had sanctioned Rs 710 crore for the development of minorities in 2016-17 and was taking all steps to uplift Muslims in the State. Recalling the services of A P J Abdul Kalam, he said: “We should not forget the path he had shown us and India continues to draw inspiration from his speeches and works.”