Srinagar: When the 200-year-old revered shrine of Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani (RA), popularly known as Dastageer Sahib, at Khanyar was gutted, the government ordered safety audit of shrines across the Kashmir Valley.
More than five years later, government has again repeated the old-lines. Government has directed conduct of safety audit of shrines in the Kashmir Valley by the concerned Departments and immediately taking all fire prevention measures at these places.
“Chairing a high-level meeting to review the safety and protection of all the shrines of the Valley in the backdrop of last night’s fire incident at Khankah-e- Mou’la, the Chief Minister directed all concerned Departments like Wakf Board, Fire & Emergency Services, PDD, PHE, Police, SMC and other related Department to jointly conduct the safety audit of all the shrines and come up with whatever precautionary measures are required to protect these places of reverence,” an official spokesman said
The Chief Minister directed installation of fire hydrants, smoke alarms, CCTVs and other precautions to prevent fire occurrence at any shrine in the State.
In 2012, then Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon chaired a high-level meeting and announced a fire safety audit of all major heritage shrines of Kashmir would be done by a committee of experts “very soon.”
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