A total of Tk 88,65,804 in cash was recovered during the fifth round of counting donations from the donation boxes and sealed containers at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) in Sylhet on Saturday.
Gold, silver and foreign currencies from 18 countries were also found during the counting.
With this, the total cash collected in five rounds has reached Tk 3,13,23,144.
The fifth round of counting began at 10:00am under the direct supervision of the district administration, one month and eight days after the previous count. The money and valuables were recovered after three sealed containers and five donation boxes at the shrine were opened.
The valuables included 1.8 bhori of gold, 3.13 bhori of silver, 7,647 Indian rupees and 14 British pounds.
Other currencies recovered included 11 Malaysian ringgit, 20 Thai baht, 15 Maldivian rufiyaa, 10 Hong Kong dollars, 1 Brunei dollar, 55 Nepalese rupees, 100 Pakistani rupees, 50 Russian rubles and 500 Sri Lankan rupees.
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, known as khadims.
Of the 310 goats donated, 237 were used for the communal kitchen and shinni, or ritual offerings.
Shrine officials, bank representatives and a large number of volunteers took part in the counting.
After the count, 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 various charitable activities.
Special donation boxes were installed at the shrine in June to improve security and ensure financial transparency. Since then, donations and valuables collected in the boxes have been counted publicly at regular intervals.
According to the district administration, Tk 17,65,549 was collected in the first round, Tk 47,10,000 in the second, Tk 70,88,672 in the third and Tk 88,92,966 in the fourth. The fifth round yielded Tk 88,65,804.
At a meeting on September 23 to improve transparency in the shrine's financial management, it was decided that donations would be counted daily.
Plans were made to recruit a manager, an accountant and an office assistant to oversee the counting of donations, 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 is underway and applications have been received.
“We expect the process to be completed by next month, after which the shrine's funds will be counted daily. Today, one month and eight days later, we are conducting the fifth count of donations collected at the shrine,” he said.
The fourth round of counting was held on September 19, when three large cauldrons, known as degs, and five donation boxes were opened. It yielded Tk 88,92,966, along with gold and foreign currencies from 15 countries.
At the September 23 meeting, a committee led by Khandaker Abdul Muktadir decided how the donations would be allocated. Under the decision, 35 percent of the total donations would go towards the shrine's development projects and be deposited into an account at Sonali Bank.
The remaining 65 percent would be used to meet daily operating expenses and pay staff salaries and allowances.