DADU: Arrangements for the 765th annual Urs of Hazrat Qalandar Lal Shahbaz were reviewed at a meeting held at the irrigation rest house in Sehwan Sharif on Monday.

Three-day Urs celebrations will start from May 15 to 17 (from Sha’aban 18 to 20) at Sehwan Sharif.

The meeting was presided over by Syed Ghulam Shah Jilani, adviser to Sindh chief minister on Auqaf.

Talking to newsmen after the meeting, Sindh Home Secretary Kazi Shahid Pervaiz said that following the Sindh Information of Temporary Residents Act, 2015, action would be taken against the people who would not provide information to the Sehwan Sharif police station about persons hiring out their houses during the Urs.

He said the people of Sehwan/landlords should register information at the Sehwan police station with complete details of their temporary tenants.

The secretary said a ban would be imposed on bathing in Indus River and Aral Wah of Manchhar Lake and Sim Nullah. Keeping in view the sweltering weather, 400,000 bottles of mineral water would be distributed among devotees and ORS would be provided to people at different sabeels of water during the Urs. He said the event would be monitored through 200 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and four camera drones would fly over the venue to keep security check.

He said men, women and children would be allowed to enter the shrine of Lal Shahbaz after a thorough check. In this regard separate arrangement had been made for women, he added.

He said 100 ambulances and 40 fire tenders would remain alert during the annual Urs.

Earlier, presiding over the meeting, the adviser to Sindh chief minister on Auqaf said foolproof security arrangements would be made for the devotees of Hazrat Qalandar Lal Shahbaz. The Auqaf department would establish medical camps and water sabeels surrounding the shrine.

The home secretary along with Auqaf secretary Riaz Ahmed Soomro, Hyderabad DIGP Khadim Hussain Rind, Hyderabad Commissioner Dr Syed Ahmed and officers of the Jamshoro district administration visited the shrine of Qalandar and reviewed security arrangements.

Sadaruddin’s Urs

Three-day celebrations of the 739th annual Urs of Sufi Saint Hazrat Sadaruddin Shah would be held from May 11 to 13, 2017, at his grave at the Bakhar Island situated on the Indus between twin cities of Sukkur and Rohri.

Special assistant to Sindh chief minister for Auqaf Syed Ghulam Shah Jilani would inaugurate the Urs by laying chador on the grave at 10.30am on May 11.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2017