Srinagar August 22 (KNS): Chairman People's Democratic Front ( PDF) Hakeem Yaseen has expressed concern over the closure of the Grand Masjid at the revered shrine of Sheikh-ul-Alam Sheikh NooruddinNoorani (RA) in Chrar-e-Sharif town of central Kashmir's Budgam district for worshippers following cracks in a portion of its slab and an audit report recommendation by NIT Srinagar to avoid mass gathering inside the building.
In a statement issued on Sunday to Kashmir News Service, Hakeem Yaseen while expressing serious concern over the closure of Grand mosque of Chrar-e-Sharief for worshippers, has demanded a thorough investigation about the widespread allegations of the use of sub- standard materials on construction of the mosque complex by the construction company, JKPCC . He said closure of the Grand mosque for worshippers on the grounds of adverse safety parametres has created fear psychosis among the people. " Government, besides initiating an investigation over the allegations of use of sub standard material for the construction of the Grand mosque,should also initiate urgent retrofitting measures to make the Grand mosque functional for prayers, " Hakeem Yaseen urged.
He said that there are widespread allegations that the first floor of the 4 storied Grand Masjid built by the JKPCC after spending crores of rupees had been experiencing “vibrations” for the past five years which had created fear psychosis among the worshippers about it's safety. He said concern of the people especially worshippers , after the Department of Civil Engineering at NIT Srinagar, which had sent a joint team of experts to the shrine for the on-spot inspection on June 12 this year, shot the audit recommendations that the Grand Masjid should not be thrown open for the mass gatherings as some visually observable cracks were noticed in the secondary beams of the coffer slab at multiple locations was genuine.
" In view of the gravity of the matter , government should order an in depht enquiry by the Anti Corruption Bearu (ACB) to bring the facts to forever and to book the guilty under law,Hakeem Yaseen demanded while urging for rectification of the identified faults on war footing basis to make the mosque complex functional for regular prayers again . He said as result of closure of the Grand mosque complex, the worshippers have been left with no alternative except to offer Friday congregational prayers outside in the compound as a precautionary measure. Following uncertainty about safety of the Grand mosque, the worshippers have started offering five times prayers inside a makeshift area in the compoud.(KNS)