DADU: Many devotees of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar complained about water shortage despite claims of the Sehwan Mella Committee of arranging 300,000 bottles of drinking water and establishing 100 ‘Sabeels’ at many places in Sehwan city during the annual Urs celebrations.
According to a report, devotees were forced to buy water and Ice at high costs. Many visitors alleged that there was no proper water supply management system at the shrine and surrounding area despite allocated budget of millions of rupees.
A few devotees claimed that impure water has infected their skin badly while others were affected by waterborne diseases.
Sehwan TMA chairman Syed Asif Ali Shah highlighted power outages by HESCO as primary reason of mismanagement and said that alternate methods were adopted by the management including generators to supply water at the shrine.
Sindh Department of Oqaf Chief Administrator Munwar Ali Mahisar revealed that 50 thousand juice packets were distributed among devotees.
Chairman Mella Committee capt (R) Fareed-udin-Mustafa said that all proper arrangements were ensured for the three-day Urs at the shrine but due to scorching heat, water demand escalated.
Many devotees were forced to consume contaminated water of Lake Manchar, Aral tail and Simm Nullah.
Four people burnt to death while returning from Urs of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
At least four people were burnt to death when a fire broke out in a CNG run auto-rickshaw after a car rammed into it on Indus Highway road near Sann, a small town located in Jamshoro District. Reportedly, four people were travelling to Jamshoro from Sehwan after performing pilgrimage at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, when a Mazda car crashed into their rickshaw. Consequently, the driver managed to escape from the scene.
Jamshoro SSP Pervaiz Ahmed Umrani said that bodies of the deceased were burnt completely while they were shifted to Sann taluka hospital.
Meanwhile, the police impounded Mazda car and started investigation into the matter.
The traffic remained suspended on the highway after the tragic incident.
Published in Daily Times, May 8th 2018.
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