766th Qalandar urs to start from May 7 in Sehwan

Security, other arrangements for death anniversary discussed

HYDERABABD: The 766th annual urs of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar will start from May 5 in Sehwan. This will be the second three-day urs after the terrorist attack at Qalandar's shrine in which 93 devotees were killed and 350 were injured on February 16 last year.

A recent meeting of the Shahbaz Mela committee to discuss arrangements for the urs was told that 4,500 policemen under the supervision of six senior superintendents of police (SSPs) will be deployed. Additionally, 150 personnel of Rangers and 100 traffic wardens will also be deployed in the small rural town.



Movement in Sehwan and inside and outside the shrine will be monitored through 200 closed-circuit television cameras from a central control room. The committee is expecting up to two million visitors during the urs.

The health department will set up 28 medical camps, aside from eight others by the Peoples Primary Healthcare Initiative. The department will station 50 ambulances along the Indus Highway. The committee will distribute 300,000 bottles of mineral water, while free of charge water distribution points will be set up at 39 locations.

The Hyderabad Electric Supply Company will be requested to waive off load-shedding in the town from May 3 to May 9. Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner Fariduddin Mustafa chaired the meeting, while officials of the police, Rangers, health and other departments attended.