J&K LG visits Charar-i-Sharief, seeks to boost religious tourism | India News

CHARAR-I-SHARIEF, BUDGAM: It’s been 28 years since Charar-i-Sharief, one of the most revered Sufi shrines in J&K, was burnt down in a terrorist encounter, but despite its restoration, structural flaws in the restored buildings and delays in infrastructure development in Charar-I-Sharief town have kept the resting place of Shaikh ul Aalam from realising its full potential as a tourist and spiritual destination.

Keen to set this right, Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday visited the iconic centre of Sufism in Budgam district of Kashmir region, and held a dialogue with the spiritual leaders, public representatives and local residents to hear their grievances relating to repairs to the shrine complex – particularly the Jamia mosque and public utilities — as well as infrastructural facilities much needed to transform Charar-i-Sharief into a ‘model town’ on the lines of Katra town, the start point for Vaishno Devi pilgrimage. “It has been 30 years since then J&K governor Jagmohan announced the transformation of Charar-i-Sharief into a ‘model town’,” Mirwaiz of Charar-i-Sharief Molvi Amir-ud-Din pointed out during the interaction.
Sinha, who paid obeisance at the shrine earlier, responded by directing the tourism department to rope in experts for the restoration of Jamia mosque that has developed cracks, leading teams from NIT and IIT to declare its two floors unsafe. He said the experts could analyse the detailed design, architectural drawings and suggest ways to restore the structure to its original glory.

“Jamia mosque is a massive structure that can take in 10,000 people, but due to two floors being declared unsafe, it can now accommodate only 2,000-2,500 people for prayers,” high court advocate Owais Ashraf Shah, who was part of the interaction of town representatives with the LG, told TOI. Sinha on Tuesday reassured that construction work on utilities within the shrine complex would be taken up and they would be ready by October 1. Besides, the district hospital in Budgam, upon completion, would cater to the medical needs of Charar-i-Sharief residents, he said.
The LG said J&K administration is committed to setting up the branch of Shaikh Ul Aalam Centre for Multidisciplinary Studies of University of Kashmir at Charar-i-Sharief.