Portion of building on Ajmer Dargah premises collapses, Centre blamed for ‘neglect'

Indian Express

5 days ago

A small portion of a building within the Ajmer Dargah Sharif premises collapsed on Wednesday after heavy rain, raising safety concerns for visitors during the ongoing Chhoti Urs festival.
The incident took place around 2 PM, shortly after the afternoon prayers, when the rain impacted the already deteriorating structure.
Members of the Dargah Khadim Committee blamed the Central government for 'neglecting the maintenance of the historic religious site'. According to Syed Sarwar Chishti, secretary of the Dargah Anjuman Committee — a body representing hereditary Khadims (priests)—the condition of the building has worsened due to prolonged inaction and corruption within the Dargah Committee, a government-constituted body responsible for the upkeep of the premises.
Chishti alleged that the post of Nazim, a key administrative officer of the Dargah Committee, remained vacant for three years until the recent appointment and that even today, positions of nine committee members remain vacant.
'There is so much corruption. Neither does the committee do anything, nor do they let us work. The building is one step away from a disaster, especially during monsoon,' he said.
He pointed out that water seeped into Khwaja Saheb's dargah and that a small portion of a hut near Shah Jani Masjid near Chhabili Gate collapsed.
Responding to the allegations, Mohammad Bilal Khan, the recently appointed Nazim, a retired DIG of the Border Security Force (BSF), acknowledged the structural issues. He said that repair and maintenance work is already underway and that he had recently held a meeting with Khadims to address their concerns. 'Today's incident was caused by sudden heavy rainfall. There is a seepage issue as the building is very old, but the government is taking care of the matter,' Khan said, adding that several plans will soon be implemented to improve the condition of the shrine.