The much-awaited development of the shrine of Hazrat Bari Imam will face further delay as the Capital Development Authority (CDA) stopped release of funds for the project, which will not only disappoint thousands of devotees who come here from across the country every year but also affect the quality of work.
“The CDA completed over 60 percent construction work of the first phase of the project, but the contractor is unable to complete the remaining work within the stipulated time as the finance wing of the civic body stopped the release of funds,” an official source told Pakistan Today on Saturday. He said the project worth Rs 641 million was approved by the caretaker government in December 2007.
Under the PC-1 of the project the CDA was supposed to develop the complex in collaboration with the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration which was required to pay Rs 250 million while the CDA undertook to spend the remaining amount, he said. The official added the CDA had started the construction work of the complex in June 2008 on the first phase of the project and had so far completed 60 percent work, but the contractor was likely to stop further work for lack of funds.
“The ICT released Rs 250 million, but the CDA high ups did not release the funds,” he further said. The official said under the PC-1 the project would be completed in two phases. In the first phase, the CDA would construct the shrine, minaret and arcade by spending Rs 302 million in two years while the second phase would be completed in one and a half years. In the second phase, the authority would construct a mosque, private rooms, a hall for devotees, Aukaf office, the main compound and public toilets.
According to the plan, the shrine would cover an area of 300 kanals. The new building would accommodate 44,000 devotees at a time. It is pertinent to mention here that in 1960, the Auqaf Department was assigned the task of uplifting the Bari Imam shrine. In early 80s, a graveyard, a mosque, and many other marks of cultural heritage were demolished and a boundary wall of the shrine was constructed. Due to delay in the completion of the project, encroachments in the areas surrounding the shrine are increasingly creating road blocks and parking problems.
The shrine of Bari Imam, a saint of 16th century, receives thousands of devotees from across the country throughout the year. The number of devotees rises to thousands during the five-day annual Urs. The devotees come here from their respective areas in their respective styles on foot, by public transport and by air.
Syed Abdul Latif Shah Kazmi, more known as Hazrat Barri Imam, was born in 1617 at village Karsal in Chakwal district and passed away in 1705. The great saint was buried at Nurpur Shahan where his urs is held every year with religious zeal.
