📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Akhemen
Local
MLA Atif Akil Halts Metro Barricade Work at Shahi Cemetery, Waqf Board Hearing Ongoing
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 06 Oct 2026, 05:15 PM
👁 9
When metro barricading began at Shahi Cemetery, MLA Atif Akil arrived at night and ordered the work stopped; the proposed tunnel remains under review by the Waqf Board.
The metro construction crew started erecting barricades at Shahi Cemetery late last night, marking the first visible step toward a planned underground tunnel beneath the historic burial ground. The activity was part of a larger metro expansion project that aims to improve connectivity in the city.
Within hours of the barricading work commencing, local legislator Atif Akil arrived at the site and instructed the contractors to cease all activity. The MLA cited concerns raised by community members and religious authorities, emphasizing the need to respect the sanctity of the cemetery.
The dispute has now moved to the Waqf Board, which is conducting a formal hearing on the proposed tunnel. The board is reviewing the legal and religious implications of digging beneath a Waqf‑managed property, and a decision on whether to allow the metro work to continue is pending.
Authorities have indicated that no further construction will take place until the Waqf Board issues its verdict, and the metro agency has pledged to cooperate with any directives issued by the board.
Within hours of the barricading work commencing, local legislator Atif Akil arrived at the site and instructed the contractors to cease all activity. The MLA cited concerns raised by community members and religious authorities, emphasizing the need to respect the sanctity of the cemetery.
The dispute has now moved to the Waqf Board, which is conducting a formal hearing on the proposed tunnel. The board is reviewing the legal and religious implications of digging beneath a Waqf‑managed property, and a decision on whether to allow the metro work to continue is pending.
Authorities have indicated that no further construction will take place until the Waqf Board issues its verdict, and the metro agency has pledged to cooperate with any directives issued by the board.