A total of Tk88.65 lakh was collected from donation boxes and sealed containers at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) in Sylhet during the fifth round of counting on Saturday.
The count yielded Tk88,65,804 in cash, along with gold, silver and foreign currencies from 18 countries, bringing the total cash collected in five rounds to Tk3,13,23,144.
The counting began at 10am under the supervision of the district administration, with three sealed containers and five donation boxes opened.
The valuables included 1.8 bhori of gold, 3.13 bhori of silver, 7,647 Indian rupees and 14 British pounds, along with currencies from several other countries.
Of the seven cattle donated to the shrine, four were slaughtered for its communal kitchen, known as the langorkhana, while the remaining three were given to the shrine's caretakers, or khadims. Of the 310 goats donated, 237 were used for the communal kitchen and shinni, or ritual offerings.
Shrine officials, bank representatives and volunteers took part in the counting. The money and valuables were deposited into the shrine's designated bank account under the supervision of the district administration.
Officials said the funds would be used for the shrine's development and charitable activities.
Special donation boxes were installed at the shrine in June to improve security and ensure transparency in financial management. Since then, donations have been counted publicly at regular intervals.
The first four rounds yielded Tk17,65,549, Tk47,10,000, Tk70,88,672 and Tk88,92,966, respectively.
At a meeting on September 23, officials decided to introduce daily counting of donations and recruit a manager, an accountant and an office assistant to oversee the process, maintain records and manage expenditure. However, daily counting has yet to begin as the recruitment process remains incomplete.
Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Mamun said the recruitment process was underway and applications had been received.
“We expect the process to be completed by next month, after which the shrine's funds will be counted daily,” he said.
The fourth round of counting was held on September 19, yielding Tk88,92,966, along with gold and foreign currencies from 15 countries.
At the September 23 meeting, a committee led by Khandaker Abdul Muktadir decided that 35% of the donations would be allocated to the shrine's development projects and deposited into an account at Sonali Bank. The remaining 65% would cover daily operating expenses, staff salaries and allowances.
