Weighing and counting have begun of the gold, silver and foreign currency deposited in the donation boxes of the historic Pagla Mosque and Islamic Complex in Kishoreganj. From 9am on Monday, nine medium-sized containers and six sealed envelopes kept in the treasury of the deputy commissioner’s office were opened and the weighing and counting began.
Three executive magistrates, 10 police personnel and six SRB members are on duty for overall security during the counting and weighing. Six employees of the deputy commissioner’s office, the mosque’s staff, 10 goldsmiths from the jewellers’ association and officials of Rupali Bank are helping in the work.
Visitors to the Pagla Mosque are understood to donate gold and silver ornaments and the currencies of various countries as well as cash.
After the donation boxes are opened, these valuables are sealed and kept in the treasury of the deputy commissioner’s office. They are now being opened, and the gold and silver are being separated by carat and weighed. The market value will then be set and they will be sold at auction after a notice is published in newspapers. The foreign currency will be sorted by country and converted to cash at Bangladesh Bank’s current exchange rate.
Deputy Commissioner Sohana Nasrin said the gold, silver and foreign currency found in the mosque’s donation boxes were last separated and counted on 11 March 2020. At that time 415 bhori 1 ana of gold and 184 bhori of silver were sold at auction for a total of Tk 1 crore 15 lakh 4 thousand 900. Converting the foreign currency brought in Tk 1 lakh 27 thousand 651.
She said the donation boxes have been opened 18 times since 11 March 2020. They were last opened on 27 June.
The Pagla Mosque’s fund now holds Tk 131 crore 85 lakh 44 thousand 810. A further Tk 39 lakh 32 thousand 906 has been received so far in online donations through the mosque’s website.
Work has meanwhile begun on building three prayer sheds, an ablution area and a wash block for women in the mosque compound at a cost of Tk 1 crore 10 lakh 88 thousand 464. The work order was given on 27 September. Construction of a public toilet outside the mosque for worshippers has already been completed. Work on the design of a modern mosque complex is also nearly finished.
Present during the counting were Khaled Saifullah Sohel Khan, administrator of Kishoreganj Zila Parishad; Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md Ishtiaque Emon; Additional District Magistrate Md Ershadul Ahmed; Kishoreganj Sadar upazila nirbahi officer Kamrul Hasan Maruf; and officials of the district administration at various levels.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report