The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has started cleaning Muslim graveyards across the city in preparation for Shab-e-Barat. This includes removing debris, cutting overgrown bushes, and clearing garbage. Contractors will also install lights and water facilities to help visitors.
Shab-e-Barat, also known as ‘jagne ki raat,’ is an important Islamic festival. It will be observed on Friday night, and thousands of Muslims will visit graveyards to pray for their departed loved ones.
Yakutpura MLA Jaffar Hussain Meraj visited various graveyards in his constituency. He inspected the cleaning work at Rein Bazar, Kurmaguda, and Santoshnagar along with local officials. He ensured that all necessary preparations, including whitewashing boundary walls, were completed before the festival.
However, some graveyards in other areas have not been cleaned on time. Mohammed Ahmed, an activist from Old City, pointed out that several graveyards in places like Misri Gunj and Bahadurpura were still untouched, and cleaning work had not yet started.
Meanwhile, the government has announced a holiday for Shab-e-Barat, which falls on the 15th of Shaban, the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. However, the holiday is listed as optional and not a general public holiday.