Shabbir Ali Reviews Christmas Feast Preparations
- Officials discuss Christmas feast arrangements and community issues
- Focus on support for pastors and coordination for Telangana event
Hyderabad: Shabbir Ali reviewed the preparations for the Christmas Feast to be hosted by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at the Secretariat on Thursday. He is the Advisor to the Telangana Government for SC, ST, OBC and Minorities. The review meeting focused on the arrangements for the event and the issues raised by the Christian community. Officials said the government wanted the programme to run smoothly and without delays.
Meanwhile, Minorities Welfare Minister Md Azharuddin, Christian Minorities Finance Corporation Chairman Deepak John, Special Chief Secretary Benhur Mahesh Dutt Ekka and Minority Department Secretary B. Shafiullah joined the meeting. They interacted with members of the State level Organising Committee. They also assured that the administration would take up the issues and suggestions shared by the representatives. Shabbir Ali said officials had taken note of all points and would try to resolve them at the earliest.
He said the government wanted to improve long term support for pastors and church workers. He explained that the Congress government had already introduced an honourarium system for imams and muezzins in mosques. He said a similar model would be extended to pastors. However, he added that the process needed formal procedures. These include registration, eligibility checks and adherence to official guidelines. According to him, these steps ensure transparency and help genuine beneficiaries.
He also spoke about the registration issues faced by churches in rural, tribal and remote areas. He said many congregations operate with limited resources. Therefore, the system would be streamlined so that pastors in villages and marginalised regions were not left out. He said the government aimed to balance administrative needs with easy access for all.
Later, he referred to updates on the Umeed portal for Waqf properties. He said the government was working within the directions issued by the Centre. He also said that many properties had already been processed. Officials were working to complete pending cases within the required time.
On the Christmas Feast arrangements, he said seating, access and movement would follow an organised plan. This would help ministers, officials, bishops, priests and community representatives move without confusion. He urged all attendees to cooperate with the teams handling parking and entry passes. He said these measures were needed to avoid congestion and delays.
Shabbir Ali also clarified that past delays or restrictions in meetings were due to transportation and crowd management rules. He said they were not deliberate attempts to deny access. He added that the Chief Minister was committed to addressing the concerns of the Christian community and ensuring inclusive participation.
He said all valuable suggestions from committee members had been recorded. He said the government would work to implement feasible measures. He also said the Christmas Feast was an important annual celebration and a moment to strengthen ties between the state and Christian organisations.
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