Rs 85 cr released for protecting burial grounds, Idga maidans

The state government has released Rs 85 crore for construction of compound wall around 1,400 burial grounds and 211 Idga maidans across the state.

Minister for Minority Welfare and Wakf Tanveer Sait said here on Thursday said that the government had earmarked Rs 10 crore for protecting Wakf properties and Rs 10 crore for their maintenance. Steps should be taken to construct compound wall around burial grounds for protecting them from encroachment.

He said that the space in the existing burial ground had become inadequate owing to raise in population. As many as 409 applications had been received seeking space for burial grounds. The Revenue department had been directed  to allot government land and in case the government land is not available, the department had been asked to acquire land for the purpose.

The state government, in this year’s budget had declared to set up 200 schools in the name of Moulana Azad. “Of these, 100 schools will start functioning this academic year. These schools will have Urdu and Kannada as first and second languages respectively and will conduct classes in Kannada or English medium,” he said.

The minister said that the state had as many as 8,900 schools and their number had now dwindled to 4,098. A majority of the 173 Urdu schools in Kolar district are in dilapidated condition. A sum of Rs 30,000 has been released to each of these schools for furniture repair. Urdu teachers’ training centres too have reopened.

He said that the honorarium of 5,111 Imams in the state has been increased to Rs 4,000 from Rs 3,500.  The department of Religious Endowment too has increased the honorarium paid to archaks. He called upon members of Muslim community to apply under “Shrama Shakti” and “Arivu” schemes for availing loans to purchase tractor and trailers. Muslim children should be educated and occupy high posts, he said.

Lok Sabha member K H Muniyappa, Wakf Board chairman Iqbal Ahmed, Karnataka Seeds Corporation director Kumar and others will present.
DH News Service