In a telling statement on failure of Wakf Board to take measures for protection of shrines across Kashmir, a devotee has offered to carry out fire-proof re-electrification of Khanqah-e-Moula here that suffered damage to its spire in a fire incident in November 2017.
Instead of facilitating the devotee the board has been delaying him permission, citing clerical hassles.
Vice-chairman J&K Wakaf Board, G R Sufi confirmed that a devotee has offered to carry out the re-electrification. But, he said, before giving the devotee the permission, the board needs to get “mandatory clearance” from Power Development Department.
A board official said the devotee who has been visiting the shrine for a “long time” offered the help some 10 days ago.
Sufi said they too were “concerned” about safety of shrines including Khanqah-e-Moula. “But the board is facing financial crunch,” he said.
But, the official said, the offer from the devotee should be an eye opener for the board which has 2189 specified properties in Srinagar including shops, dwelling units/rooms, commercial establishments, hotels and open space, and 1130 properties in rural Kashmir.
The board generates an annual income of around Rs 20 crore. But, out of the total revenue generated from different sources it spends around Rs 15 core on salaries while the remaining income goes on “maintenance” of shrines and “other expenditures”.
“We are left with too little to spend on measures needed for protection of the shrines and other revered places,” said the official.
Another official however blamed board for its failure to make proper use of its assets in the summer capital of Srinagar and elsewhere to optimise revenue generation.
“The market value of Wakf property runs into thousands of crores but in return we get peanuts as revenue from them. All that the board has done over the years has been recruitment of more and more manpower which has proven to be white elephant for its growth,” said the official.
He said the board should conduct manpower audit to streamline its functioning and make maximum use of its resources.
The official referred to a report by the PDD asking the board that there was an urgent need to install lighting arrestors in all shrines across Kashmir.
According to the report the re-electrification of five major shrines in Kashmir including Khanqah-e-Moula would cost the board, the second asset rich organization in J&K after the government, Rs 92 lakh.
But struggling to manage the funds the board had written a letter to its chairman to release funds under Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) for installing fire fighting equipments in the shrines.
“There is an immediate need for installation of lighting Arrestors at heritage shrines in particular. After the incident of the fire in the spire of Khanqah –e –Mohalla on Nov 2017 it was inter-alia decided to have a shrine safety audit caused and, meanwhile, install lighting arrestors at more vulnerable heritage shrine structures,” reads the letter send to the Chairman Waqf Board, Khurshid Ganai.
Sufi, who took the charge of the board in December last year, said the funds for taking measure for safety and protection of the shrines have to be provided by the government under PMDP.