Tk 89 Lakh found in Shahjalal Shrine's donation box
- Offerings include 1 Bhori 9 Ana 2 Rati of Gold and Currency from 15 Countries
In little over than a month, Tk 89 Lakh found in Shahjalal Shrine's donation box. Collected photo.
The donation boxes of Hazrat Shahjalal (R.)'s shrine in Sylhet were publicly counted for the fourth time.
After opening the donation boxes and huge cooking pots (degs) on Saturday (September 19) following a gap of 34 days, a total of Tk8,892,966 was collected. Additionally, 1 Bhori 9 Ana 2 Rati of gold and foreign currencies from 15 countries were recovered.
The process began around 10:00 AM on Saturday, when three donation boxes and three degs located on the shrine premises were unsealed to collect the donated funds.
Under the supervision of an Executive Magistrate, nearly 50 volunteers spent the entire day counting the money and sorting other items.
By 6:00 PM, Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury, a member of the shrine's financial management committee and Administrator of Sylhet City Corporation, officially announced the count.
He said that Tk 8,892,966 in cash, along with 1 Bhori 9 Ana 2 Rati of gold and various foreign currencies, were obtained from the donation boxes and pots this time.
The foreign currencies collected included 5 British Pounds, 3,954 Indian Rupees, 5 Thai Baht, 99.25 Saudi Riyals, 29 Malaysian Ringgit, 8 US Dollars, 903 Omani Riyals, 57.25 UAE Dirhams, 1 Iraqi Dinar, 21.50 Qatari Riyals, 30.10 Euros, 0.25 Bahraini Dinars, 50 Papua New Guinean Kina, 15 Chinese Yuan, and 5,000 Indonesian Rupiahs.
Meanwhile, details regarding the cows and goats received as donations were also shared. A total of 6 cows and 110 goats were donated. Among them, 5 cows and 70 goats were slaughtered to prepare food for the shrine's soup kitchen (langarkhana).
The money raised from selling the remaining 40 goats will be used to pay the wages of the soup kitchen workers. Furthermore, one cow and one goat were gifted for the weddings of two young women from impoverished families.
Previously, the donation boxes were opened for the third time on August 15. On that occasion, after 34 days, Tk 7,088,672 along with foreign currencies were recovered.
The donation boxes and degs are opened and audited at regular intervals under official supervision to ensure transparency and accountability in the shrine's financial management. This latest counting was also completed in the presence of the committee members and administrative representatives concerned.
