Keeping up his vow made years ago as MP of Mahabubnagar, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday visited the Jahangir Peer Dargah near Shadnagar and sacrificed 51 sheep as an offering over the fulfilment of his wish that a separate Telangana State become a reality.

A TRS legislator who accompanied Mr. Rao and did not wish to be identified told The Hindu , “The niaz of 51 sheep was made near the dargah. It was done early in the morning. There was nothing special about it as the offering was made just like any other one by worshippers at the dargah. The dargah of its own accord has not sacrificed any sheep.”

The CM, along with a battery of TRS legislators, officials and other elected representatives, arrived at the dargah around 2.30 pm. He presented the traditional chadar and sat in the shrine for some time before making his way to a makeshift stage where he addressed party cadre and officials.

A string of announcement were made by the CM, including a sanction of Rs. 50 crore for the Jahangir Peer Dargah complex. The funds, he said, would be used to improve facilities for pilgrims. These would facilitate better approach roads, cottages and niazkhanas .

Since the dargah attracts a large number of pilgrims everyday, he underscored that these visitors should not be inconvenienced. He said that an additional land parcel will be identified and given to the dargah which would bring the total land extent to around 100 acres. It is also likely that parking systems at the shrine will be streamlined as well.

The Shadnagar municipality is likely to get a shot in the arm as the Chief Minister said that Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister K. T. Rama Rao would visit the area to take stock of activity there.

In other announcements, the CM said that large gram panchayats would be allotted Rs. 10 lakh each and smaller ones would be given Rs. 5 lakh each. He said that that as much as 20 lakh acres in the Shadnagar area would be irrigated under Palamuru project.