Haj minister issues notice to secy over repainting of wall

LUCKNOW: The UP Haj Committee’s decision to repaint the boundary wall of its office from saffron to cream doesn’t seem to have gone down well with the Waqf and Haj minister Mohsin Raza.

More than a week after the incident, the minister has sought an explanation from the secretary of the Haj Committee RP Singh in which he has asked who authorized the latter to change the colour (from saffron to cream). He has also sought an explanation about the press release issued by Singh in which he had claimed that the repainting was an “unintentional error. ” In a seven-point questionnaire to Singh, Raza has asked him to explain on whose order was the boundary wall first painted saffron and who took the subsequent decision to paint it cream? “Under what rules is the upkeep of the office, including its whitewash etc done? Who is responsible for repainting the wall and who is going to bear the cost and what action, if any, has been taken against the contractor concerned,” Raza has asked.

Singh has been asked to furnish all the details and information related to the tender issued for the work and also the date and time of the inspection carried out by him after which the wall was repainted.

The boundary wall of the Haj Committee office, situated on Vidhan Sabha Road in the state capital, was painted in a typical ‘saffron’ hue, instead of the traditional

IN A SEVENPOINT QUESTIONNAIRE TO SINGH, RAZA HAS ASKED HIM TO EXPLAIN ON WHOSE ORDER WAS THE BOUNDARY WALL FIRST PAINTED SAFFRON AND WHO TOOK THE SUBSEQUENT DECISION TO PAINT IT CREAM?

white on January 5.

Haj minister Raza, the lone Muslim member in the Yogi Adityanath government, had defended the decision saying though the decision was taken by officers, he did not see why it should be opposed.

“Saffron is a gift of God. It is a colour of happiness. It is the colour of sunrise, which gives light to the whole world,” he said. “I have one thing to say to those who are opposing the colour… would they oppose the national flag too, which has the same colour?… It is a government office and has been painted in a colour which the officers and staff decided,” he said.

But the saffron boundary wall was painted cream the very next day. Haj Committee secretary, RP Singh who had taken immediate cognizance of the matter and had subsequently issued a press release saying the move to paint the wall saffron was ‘unintentional.’

He had accused the contractor of laxity and choosing the wrong colour. The saffron boundary wall was repainted in cream.