Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti flew to Srinagar on Wednesday morning from here to personally assess the damage…
Mehbooba-Mufti
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti flew to Srinagar on Wednesday morning from here to personally assess the damage caused due to Tuesday night’s fire to the shrine of Hazrat Amir Kabeer Mir Syed Ali Hamdani, which is popularly known as Khanqah-e-Moula.
She drove straight from the airport to the shrine downtown Srinagar and discussed the damage with members of the management committee and senior officers.
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“I have called an urgent meeting to ensure Khanqah-e-Moula is restored to its original glory,” she said.
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The Chief Minister went around various areas of the shrine complex to assess the quantum of damage. She sought a detailed appraisal from the local administration regarding the fire incident.
Interacting with the members of the management committee and devotees, Mehbooba said the shrine symbolises the pluralistic ethos of Kashmir society from which every citizen of the state draws spiritual solace.
She expressed deep appreciation for the local youth who came forward and prevented the fire from spreading.
On the occasion, people of the area demanded installation of CCTVs in the shrine complex, availability of fire tenders in the locality, scientific protection to the wood structures at the shrine and expediting shrine expansion plan.
Later, Mehbooba tweeted “Khanqah-e-Moula was also the last place my father & I visited together. For him, the shrine depicted the soul of Kashmir.
“I am deeply saddened by the damage caused by fire to the shrine”.
Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also visited the shrine to assess the damage and described the shrine as the “symbol of great religious and cultural heritage”. The minaret was damaged but thanks to the alertness and quick action of locals especially the youth that the damage was contained, he said.
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