Renovations in Sehwan fall behind as devotees prepare for Urs

Police, army and Ranger­s person­nel will be on duty during the Urs.

HYDERABAD:

Nearly 1.5 million people are expected to take part in the three-day celebrations marking the the 760th Urs of Mohammad Usman Marvandi, popularly known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, from July 9 in Sehwan.

However, renovation of the shrine’s cherished golden dome, as well as proposed expansion of its courtyard, have yet to be completed. The government had earmarked nearly Rs1.25 billion for the two development schemes.

The shrine, which is located at the foothills of Kirthar mountains, is spread over 1,000 square yards and contains three entrances. The renovation of the golden dome, and other development work at the shrine, was supposed to be complete by this June. However, the project director Jinsar Shah said that work on the dome began on January 12, while he assumed his duties on January 17. “[The renovation] would be completed by this September.”

The golden dome

Perhaps the most eye-catching feature of the shrine, the golden dome is 56 feet wide, and the height of the shrine, from its base to the top of the dome, has been increased to 110 feet, at a cost of Rs60 million. The government had reserved Rs315.68 million for the extension of the dome and for general repairs of the shrine.

“The dome would be decorated with gold-plated tiles on its exterior, and Iranian mosaic tiles on the interior,” said Auqaf department officer Masood Mangi. The Sindh Works and Services department is supervising the project, while an Iranian company is working as a consultant. Officials are currently waiting for the arrival of gold tiles from Dubai and the mosaic tiles from Iran.

Expansion

The government also decided to increase the open space surrounding the shrine to 6,834 square yards, and allocated Rs960 million for acquisition of 24 nearby residential and commercial buildings. Jamshoro district’s deputy commissioner Agha Sohail Pathan said that district administration had purchased 19 properties so far, and demolished quite a few of them. “We are purchasing 100 residential plots from the Sehwan Development Authority, and will give them to people [relocated due to the shrine’s expansion].”

However, this part of the project appears to have hit a snag, as owners of the remaining five establishments appear unwilling to sell their land, despite the issuance of a judicial order under section 18 of the Land Acquisition Act. Sehwan taluka assistant deputy commissioner Ataullah Shah accused former Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Atif Shah for spearheading the resistance campaign. “Atif Shah is demanding Rs12,000 per sq feet in payment.” The government, meanwhile, has fixed acquisition rates at Rs2,500 per square feet for residential properties and Rs3,000 per square feet for commercial properties. Atif Shah is also the PPP’s general secretary for Jamshoro district. Pathan said that he had brought the issue before Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah.

Security during the Urs

Nearly 7,000 police and Rangers personnel will be deployed over the three days during which Urs celebrations will take place at the Lal Shabaz Qalandar shrine. Army and navy divers would be on hand at the three canals that flow through Sehwan town, as at least 16 people died due to drowning and heat strokes last year.

However, a network of CCTV cameras, which were set up across a four-kilometre radius last year at a cost of Rs8 million to the exchequer, are unlike to be deployed this year. The cameras were connected to a control room, along with four LCD television sets, in the offices of Sehwan DSP Hakim Ali Mithiani. Most of those cameras were reportedly stolen after a private security company had handed them over to police.

While the theft had reportedly taken place a few months after Urs celebrations in 2011, a case was registered at Sehwan police station only two months ago. Mithiani was reportedly dismissed by IGP Sindh, while an inquiry into the case is under way. “The matter came to our knowledge only recently,” said Pathan. He appeared uncertain if the government would be able to install any new cameras over the next four days.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2012.