Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The festival of sacrifice, devotion, and martyrdom, known as 'Eid-ul-Azha,' was celebrated with great fervour and gaiety by Muslim brethren in and around the city on Monday.
The special prayer (Namaz) was organised at various Eidgahs, important and big mosques in different parts of the city since early morning. The veteran religious leaders while giving spiritual discourse to the devotees at Eidgah in Cantonment has appealed them to maintain peace and harmony, and underlined the need to establish peace in the world. The special prayer in Eidgah at Cantonment was held at 8.30 am. The chief Imam of Jama Masjid, Maulana Hafiz Zakir Sahab, led the prayers. Prior to this, Mufti Naseem Sahab extended guidance. He commented on the social and political situation and expressed concern over the increase in drug addiction amongst youths in the city. He pin-pointed the need to offer prayers five times a day as 'Namaz' prevents all bad habits. He mentioned that this country has given the world the message of 'peace' and 'tranquility.' He also mentioned that the world has seen what happens to those who do not move forward together with everyone. Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his son Hazrat Ismail (peace be upon him) set a profound example of sacrifice and devotion for the world. It is in their honour that 'Eid-ul-Azha' is celebrated today, he stressed.
The police administration maintained tight security at the venue. Under the guidance of the CP, the police officers comprising DCPs, ACPs, PIs, PSIs and others were busy keeping a vigil on the situation and inspecting the devotees coming for prayers at the Eidgah with metal detectors at all entrance gates before allowing them entry. The municipal corporation provided water for ablution, and the electricity company ensured power supply. After the prayers, members of various social and political parties extended their greetings to the Muslim community. In the tent set up by the Wakf Board, former MLC M M Shaikh, Navin Oberoi, Police Commissioner Sandip Patil, Dr Sartaj Pathan, Hamad Chaus, and others extended Eid greetings to the Muslim community.
Traffic Chaos
After offering prayers at the Eidgah, thousands of devotees exited, leading to traffic congestion on all roads leading from the venue. Long queues of vehicles were seen at Makai Gate. Observing this, some devotees moved towards Panchakki, only to find that road also blocked. The road at the Barapulla Gate near Mill Corner was closed in front of Milind Law College. Devotees expressed strong anger over the lack of proper planning.
Negligence by ward engineer
Thousands of devotees travel to and from the Eidgah through Barapulla Gate on Eid day. Despite knowing this, drainage water had been clogged and was also flowing on newly built alternate bridge near Barapulla Gate for two days. On Eid day, devotees had to endure significant inconvenience due to this drainage water. Devotees also expressed their dissatisfaction with the municipal administration's handling of the situation.
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Celebrated Eid with zeal after two years in Waluj Mahanagar
The Muslim brethren staying in different villages under Waluj Mahanagar cluster like Waluj, Pandharpur, Ranjangaon, Kamlapur, Limbe Jalgaon, Tisgaon, Wadgaon, Bajajnagar, Turkabad, Ambelhol etc celebrated the Eid with zeal and enthusiasm. They
offered special prayers on Monday early morning. After prayers they greeted each other, shaked hands and extended best wishes.
It may be noted that for the last two years, the Muslim brothers were not sacrificing their animals as the Eid day was colliding with the Ashadi Ekadashi festival. They were offering their sacrifices after couple of days.
The police inspector of Waluj MIDC police station Krishna Shinde and the police inspector of Waluj police station Rajendra Sahane extended greetings to the Muslim devotees.
At the main Eidgah in Waluj, the special prayer was performed under the guidance of Qari Mohammed Yaser at 7.30 am. The Amir-e-Jamat Haji Ibrahim Musa Khan Pathan guided the audience and Irshad Inamdar performed the salaat. In Narayanpur, the special prayers were held at 8 am under the guidance of Hafiz Dilshad; in Pandharpur, the special prayers were conducted at Jama Masjid under the guidance of Hafiz Moin Maulana; at the Sajapur Eidgah grounds, Mufti Qadir Maulana led the prayers, while at Noorani Masjid, the prayers were held under the guidance of Mufti Abed Maulana.