Hyderabad: Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) spokesperson Amjed Ullah Khan challenged the Telangana government’s Moharrum budget claim and demanded documentary proof of increased allocations for Moharrum-2026.
Responding to remarks by Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin during a visit to Bibi Ka Alawa in Dabeerpura, Khan asked the government to place the relevant Government Orders in the public domain. The Minister claimed that the government increased the Moharrum budget for 2026.
Khan said Moharrum-2026 is the third observance since the Congress government assumed office. However, he alleged that authorities have yet to complete several works sanctioned during Moharrum-2024 and Moharrum-2025. He also questioned whether officials laid any new roads or carried out major repairs specifically for Moharrum this year.
Moharrum budget claim sparks accountability demand
The MBT leader described the Minister’s visit as ineffective. He alleged that several officials responsible for Moharrum arrangements skipped the programme.
Khan said the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Telangana State Wakf Board did not attend the visit. Moreover, senior officials from GHMC, TGSPDCL, the Police Department and other agencies stayed away despite their key role in managing Moharrum processions and Majalis.
He noted that the Wakf Board is executing a major Moharrum-related project. Therefore, he questioned why officials handling the work did not accompany the Minister.
Khan further alleged that the government delayed comprehensive Moharrum arrangements meetings for three consecutive years. According to him, authorities call such meetings only days before Moharrum. In contrast, officials begin preparations for Bonalu and Ganesh Utsav months in advance.
Moharrum budget claim linked to civic issues
Khan alleged that the state government has not given Moharrum preparations the same importance as other major festivals.
He also claimed that neither Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy nor Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi visited Bibi Ka Alam during the past three years.
Highlighting civic concerns, Khan alleged that roads leading to Bibi Ka Alawa from Dabeerpura Darwaza, Shaik Faiz Kaman and Dabeerpura Railway Over Bridge remain in poor condition. He claimed that potholes, garbage heaps and construction debris continue to inconvenience devotees.
The MBT spokesperson further alleged that several Bibi Ka Alam procession routes need urgent repairs. He cited frequent power cuts, sanitation problems and inadequate infrastructure at venues hosting Majalis.
Khan demanded that the government immediately convene a high-level Moharrum arrangements meeting under the Chief Minister’s chairmanship. He also sought disclosure of budget allocations, completion of pending works and urgent improvements to roads, sanitation, street lighting and power supply before Moharrum-2026 begins.