CS visits Hinglaj Mata Temple, reviews arrangements for 3-day mela

By  Aziz Yousafzai

LASBELA: Chief Secretary Balochistan Abdul Aziz Uqaili visited Hinglaj Mata Temple in a historic trip via helicopter here on Saturday.

He was accompanied by officials from the Department of Culture, Communications and Works, PIA, and Director PDMA. Upon arrival, the Chief Secretary was received by Deputy Commissioner Murad Khan Kasi and Chairperson of the Minority Commission Mukhi Sham Lal.

During his visit, the Chief Secretary was briefed by administrative officers about the arrangements for the three-day annual Hinglaj Mata Mela, which is set to begin on April 28 and will continue until April 30.

The district administration has completed all arrangements and development work for the event. A briefing was also given to Chief Engineer of the Department of Communications, Dr. Sajjad.

Furthermore, the cost of constructing accommodation and rooms for travelers is estimated at 15 crore rupees. A briefing was given to the Chief Secretary by officers of the Communications Department on the completion of the work on the Coastal Highway to Hinglaj Temple Link Road.

The Chief Secretary was also briefed on security arrangements for the Hinglaj Mela by DC Murad Khan Kasi. He was informed that the cost of the construction of a voting room and other development projects from funds provided by Senator Danesh Kumar is estimated at five crore rupees.

The historic visit of the Chief Secretary to the Hinglaj Mata Temple and his active involvement in the preparations for the annual Hinglaj Mela reflects the government’s commitment to promoting religious harmony and facilitating the religious tourism sector in Balochistan.

CS also announced that the annual three-day festival of Hanglaj Mata in Balochistan is a shining example of religious tolerance, adding that however, after receiving public complaints about the delay and non-progress in the ongoing development projects at the site, a team of secretaries was immediately sent to investigate.

He visited the site to check the progress of ongoing development projects, and he announced that efforts will be made to increase the annual grant of Hinglaj Mata Mandir.

“The work on the modern construction hostel, Bhandara Hall Park, and other projects is currently underway, with the goal of completing the works by June this fiscal year,” he said.

CS added that the Hinglaj Mata Mandir projects included in the master plan project will be completed by the next fiscal year 2024 and added that the government officials were reviewing the arrangements of the fair daily to ensure the provision of basic facilities such as medical camp, rescue camp, 24-hour helpline facility, and police personnel for snap checking at the entrances and exits of the Hinglaj temple.

The chief secretary also gave clear orders to deploy necessary resources to make sure the festival goes smoothly.