Demand to seal mosque in Ambur trade centre grows

AMBUR: A section of the public and social activists on Friday shot off letters to various officials demanding that a newly constructed mosque on the premises of 11-year-old Ambur trade centre set up to encourage and improve the leather industry be sealed.

The letter dated January 3 was sent to Tirupattur Collector with copies to the Chief Minister, Industries Minister, state DGP, Madras High Court Chief Justice, HR&CE Department, State Minorities Commission, local police and revenue officials as also the office-bearers of the AIADMK, DMK, IUML, BJP, MDMK, PMK, VCK, VHP, Hindu Munani and RSS and the Ambur town VAO.

The letter stated that at present more marriages and receptions were held at the centre meant to conduct seminars, exhibitions and workshops for the welfare of the leather industry.

The letter demanded that the mosque be sealed and to prevent law and order situation a church and temple should be built inside the premises.

When asked, Tirupattur BJP district president C Vasudevan said he had spoken to the Collector and that the “mosque which was closed for a few days was now again open for worship.”

Fayaz Ahamed, director Ambur tannery effluent treatment company and one of the people behind the centre explained, “the centre was built with equal funding from both the central government and the industry. However, the centre was built on private land as this was one of the conditions fixed by the central government when the proposal was mooted in 2005.”

Elaborating he added, “The mosque is built on land under private ownership and hence there was nothing wrong in it.” “The issue was being raked up unnecessarily due to those involved lacking the correct information,” he noted.