HYDERABAD: The slow pace of renovation work in the premises of the historical Mecca Masjid has irked locals and raised questions on the neglect by authorities.
Though renovation of the mosque by the state government was a top priority, the work was stopped due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government had sanctioned Rs 8 crore for the work.
MA Qadeer Siddiqui, superintendent, Mecca Masjid told TOI that there is a lot of work left to be done at the mosque.
“Except for a few works, a lot of work has not been carried out yet and the deadline has been extended due to the pandemic,” said Siddiqui.
The superintendent further said that lack of manpower and insufficient budget have also caused the delay.
“Due to hike in prices of construction materials, contractors are not in a position to take up the work under the previously allocated budget.
The issues have been reported to the government and we have urged the government to rope in experts for the renovation,” he said.
Meanwhile, locals alleged that the officials are turning a blind eye to the illegal construction activities at the mosque.
“Officials have failed to protect monuments in Old City.
Their negligence has encouraged some people to carry out illegal constructions.
I request the state government to probe the role of officials in the constructions,” said Mohammed Ahmed, TDP GHMC minority cell vice-president.
For the past two days, TOI has been trying to get in touch with representatives of the Archaeological Survey of India and GHMC.
Several calls made to ASI and GHMC officials, including text messages, went unanswered.
“We have been told not to speak to the media on this topic, so I can’t help you,” a GHMC official said.