The Islamic festival of Shab-e-Barat is coming up on Sunday night, but many graveyards in Hyderabad have not been cleaned in preparation for the occasion. The Telangana State Wakf Board instructed graveyard committees to clean up, but some areas are still dirty. The GHMC approved work for major Muslim graveyards, but contractors have not finished the job, leading to complaints from corporators.
Many Muslims visit graveyards on Shab-e-Barat to pray for their departed loved ones, but some are finding debris and garbage around the graves due to lack of cleaning. This has forced families to clean the areas themselves. One of the largest graveyards in the city, Daira Mir Momin, was found to be in a messy state by visitors.
There are several other graveyards in Hyderabad that also need attention before Shab-e-Barat, including Sultan Shahi, Santoshnagar, Yakutpura, Barkas, Goshamahal, Begum Bazar, and Karwan. Local activist Mohammed Ahmed called on the Wakf Board to provide facilities before the festival to help people navigate the graveyards at night. Abdul Rahman, an activist in Old City, expressed frustration that contractors have not completed even 30% of the cleaning work despite receiving funds from the GHMC.
