Shahjalal Shrine donations to remain in bank: DC

Funds collected from the donation boxes and large cooking cauldrons (deg) at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) in Sylhet will be deposited in a bank, Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Md. Abdullah Al Mamun said.

He said all the money will not be distributed or allocated for the time being. He shared the information with journalists on Saturday, as the fifth round of counting donations collected from the shrine’s donation boxes and cauldrons got underway.

During the fifth round of counting, conducted on Saturday, cash amounting to Tk 8,865,805 was recovered. A significant amount of foreign currency was also found, along with 1 bhori and 8.5 ana of gold and 3 bhori and 13 ana of silver.

The Deputy Commissioner explained that a committee formed on September 23 had proposed allocating 35per cent of the collected funds for the shrine’s development and 65 per cent for daily operating expenses and staff salaries.

However, the proposed arrangement has not yet been implemented. For now, all collected funds will continue to be deposited in a bank account, as before. Only essential expenses, including electricity bills and the salaries of Ansar personnel, will be paid from these funds.

He further noted that steps were being taken to appoint a manager, an accountant, and a computer operator to ensure transparency in the shrine’s financial management. The process may take another month to complete. Once the appointments are finalized, the funds will be counted daily.

The proposed 65:35 allocation ratio will come into effect only after all three officials have been appointed.

A seven-member management committee, headed by Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, has been formed to ensure transparency in the shrine’s administration.

Before this, following the sealing of the old donation boxes on June 18, a total of Tk 22,957,340 had been recovered during four rounds of counting.