Example of brotherhood set by starting demolition of mosque: Himachal CM

Shimla, Oct 21 (IANS) With the start of demolition of three illegal floors of a mosque in Shimla’s Sanjauli area by the Muslim community, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh was the first state in the country which has set such an example of brotherhood.

Talking to the media here, he said Muslims have come forward to demolish the illegal portions of the mosque. He said there was no protest from either side.

Muhammad Latif, President of the Sanjauli Mosque Committee, said the committee has received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to raze the floors, from the state Waqf Board.

“We informed the district administration, the Shimla Municipal Corporation as well as the Superintendent of Police about this,” he said, adding it might take three to four months to raze floors as the “committee is utilising its own funds for the work”.

The demolition began in the wake of the municipal commissioner’s court directing the Sanjauli Mosque Committee to raze the unauthorised floors of the structure.

Dwelling on the issue of salaries of government employees, Chief Minister Sukhu said that in view of Diwali the staff was being paid on October 28.

CM Sukhu added that pensions and Dearness Allowance (DA) would also be paid to pensioners on the same day.

He said the government has also directed payment of salaries on October 28 to outsourced employees, Asha workers, Anganwadi workers, multi-task workers serving in government departments and corporations and boards, all departments and public undertakings.

On assertions of Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur regarding the economic condition of the state, CM Sukhu said the BJP government has left a debt of Rs 85,000 crore.

“It was none other than the BJP government led by Jai Ram Thakur, who put the state in trouble. “Against the interests of the state and to win the Assembly elections (in 2022), he opened institutions unnecessarily,” CM Sukhu said.

He said while in power, the previous BJP government kept on spending wastefully and “now they are making statements against the state government”.

CM Sukhu said the people of the state have seen the BJP's words and deeds.

“The Opposition has become completely desperate and is trying to remain in the limelight by making absurd statements”, the Chief Minister added.

--IANS

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