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Delhi

'Immediate intervention needed'

Immediate intervention needed
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New Delhi: The structures of the historic Jama Masjid in old Delhi have suffered damage in two dust storms within a week''s time and thus, need "immediate intervention" of heritage experts, the Shahi Imam of the celebrated mosque said on Sunday.

The 17th-century architectural icon was built in the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan for the main city of Shahjehabad, which currently falls in the Walled City, and is a major tourist attraction in the national capital.

"Over a week ago, the southern minaret of the grand mosque was damaged by a dust storm and rain, and a big block of stone had fallen off it. Luckily, no one was injured in the incident. But, due to this, other stones around it have also become loose," the Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari said.

On June 4, a big chunk of the red standstone tower had fallen off after suffering damage in the massive dust storm and rains that had hit Delhi-NCR.

The fallen piece was about two-metre long, 12-18 inches wide and about 2.5-inch thick. Other small pieces had also fallen along with it, he said.

"The day before yesterday, another dust storm hit Delhi and the minaret was further damaged. A similar piece of big stone now precariously hangs off the tower, and it can fall any time," the Shahi Imam said, adding other parts of the mosque have also been affected by the dust storm.

Repairs of the towering mosque have been carried out from time to time by the Arachaeological Survey of India (ASI) since 1956 as a special case, he said.

"But after the damage suffered in the two dust storms, the structures of the Jama Masjid need urgent repair work and immediate intervention of heritage experts and engineers to avoid any further damage or mishap," Bukhari told. He also shared that a couple of years ago, a big portion of stone had fallen off a smaller tower near Gate No. 3 of the mosque, but fortunately, no one was hurt in that incident too.

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