Muslims agree to raze mosque for bridge sake

Srinagar, December 22

In an exemplary act, Muslims here have agreed to the demolition of a 40-year-old mosque to allow the completion of a long-awaited bridge over the Jhelum river, officials said on Sunday.

They said the project had been pending since 2002 due to a few bottlenecks, including the mosque and residential and commercial structures. The demolition of the mosque began on Saturday, 24 hours after the signing of an agreement between Srinagar District Development Commissioner Shahid Iqbal Choudhary and the managing committee of Masjid Abu Turab at Qamarwari’s Rampora area. This is the second instance when efforts of the officer to resume stalled projects have borne fruit. Earlier this month, he successfully negotiated with the management of the historic Damdama Sahib Gurdwara at Zainakote, enabling resumption of expansion work on the Srinagar-Baramulla national highway.

The officials said the District Development Commissioner held a series of meetings with the mosque management to resolve the major land acquisition issue, preventing the completion of the 166-metre two-lane bridge connecting Qamarwari with Noorbagh.

The agreement reached between the government and the mosque management included an offer by the district administration to bear the cost of mosque reconstruction and its completion within 12 months, the officials said. — PTI