Heritage activists from the city today demanded a white paper on the status of Mecca Masjid and the conservation effort for the 400-year-old monument after going around the sprawling religious place. “I was shocked at the state of affairs. There were big trees growing on the terrace. The walls were damp though there has been no rain for the past one week. You can imagine the status of preservation of one of the prime heritage sites in the city,” said heritage activist Lubna Sarwath, who visited the spot.
“The government should bring out a white paper on the allocations and the expenditure of the masjid. This is a heritage site and despite the news about various allocations there has been no change or improvement. The state of women’s toilets is horrible,” said Ms. Sarwath.
The Superintendent of Mecca Masjid, M. A. Khadeer Siddique heard out the heritage activists and told them that work will begin soon. “The State government has made an allocation of ₹ 8.48 crore for the conservation of the Masjid. ₹ 2 crore has been released to the Department of Archaeology and Museums. They have to finalise the tender and select the contractor. As it requires skilled contractors to execute the conservation work, it is taking time. The work is likely to begin over the next few weeks,” informed Mr. Siddique.
