Hyderabad: Everyone is aware of the deteriorating condition of the Minority Welfare Department. On one hand, there is a lack of negligence on the part of the officials in extending the benefits of the government’s welfare and development schemes to the minorities and on the other hand, the salaries for the month of January, and February of the employees of the historic Makkah Masjid and Shahi Masjid have not yet been released.
The month of February has passed but 23 employees are waiting for January’s salaries. It is said that the number of employees of Makkah Masjid and Shahi Masjid are 30, out of which the number of staff performing religious affairs i.e. Imam and Muezzin are 7.
This is not the first time, earlier, the then Director Minority Welfare Shahnawaz Qasim had directed imams and muezzins to release salaries from the maintenance funds on the complaint of delay in release of salaries.
The salaries of Khateeb, Imam and Muezzin of both the mosques were deposited in their account for the month of January, while other 23 staff are deprived of salary. In the past, salaries were released before the 5th of every month. Now that Ramadan is near, employees of Makkah Masjid and Shahi Masjid are facing problems due to non-release of Salaries for January.
Meanwhile, for the last one and a half years, the term of the khatib, two imams and muezzin of Makkah Masjid has not been extended. Salaries are being paid without issuing formal orders. The renovation work of the historic Makkah Masjid is in the final stages. It is expected that all the works will be completed before the beginning of Ramadan. All 16 domes of the mosque have completed internal repair work, while 196 small windows are being cleaned and reinstalled.
Proposals have been sent to the government for holding public meetings on Friday in Ramadan. Three Imams will be given responsibilities in three decades for Taraweeh. In the first decade, Khateeb Makkah Masjid Hafiz and Qari Muhammad Rizwan Qureshi will recite three paras daily. In the second decade, Maulana Abdul Latif and in the third decade Maulana Abdul Ali Siddiqui will recite three paras in Taraweeh prayers.
