Waiting for amenities for 50 years

The Khoe Imam Zamin Dargah located in Lothkunta was to celebrate the birth anniversary of the grandson of Prophet Mohammed on 18 and 19 of this month. But on the request of the president of the shiya youth conference, the celebrations have been postponed for another two days as it would clash with the Ganesh Chathurti festival celebrations.

The 432-year-old Dargah was built by Quli Qutub Shah for the safety of the city on a land which was more than 100 acres. The Dargah has rocks, plants and a lake in its surroundings. This was built in the memory of Hazrat Imam Raza and around 5000 people visit the place every year for the birth anniversary celebrations.

The AP WAKF Board spends a total of 7-8 lakh on the celebrations, that includes the cost of travel (RTC transport), accommodation and food for the devotees for two days of the religious event. The two day event starts in the afternoon with a prayer, followed by other religious programs and ends in the evening on the second day.

A request letter was sent by the president of the shiya association to the board member of the Wakf Board, M A Khan, to postpone the event and also arrange for basic facilities like street lights, drinking water and proper roads that are currently full of potholes.

“M A Khan has assured us that he will talk to the chief secretary and pay heed to our request by postponing it. But I hope they really make the required developments that were being ignored for the last 50 years, because of which the devotees faced untold hardships as there is not enough power and water facility for so many people who come here with so much reverence”, says Syed Hamed Hussain Jaffery, president.