Hyderabad: Wakf assets encroached as judicial powers are pending

Hyderabad: With the government still not implementing its plan to extend judicial powers to the TS Wakf Board, Wakf properties worth thousands of crores are being encroached upon by unsocial elements.

Some of the encroachments are done with direct support of Wakf Board officials while a few others are backed by local politicians.

Despite the efforts of a couple of high-ranking officials to prevent this, thousands of acres of land and buildings are being occupied by the mafia, said Mr Osman Al Hajri of the Deccan Wakf Protection Committee.

Almost eight per cent of the Wakf properties have been encroached, and the Board spends crores every year fighting court battles to retrieve them. The board has 33,929 institutions; of the 77,538 acres land, around 57,423 acres are encroached, the Board has stated. Among the properties encroached are the prime parcels of land at Dargah Sadullah at Neknampur, Dargah Roohullah on Narsingi Road. Besides, several acres of prime land at Gachibowli, the IT hub, are encroached. “Many major IT companies and luxury apartments have come up on its land, and the board is fighting cases in court. At the most, the board can issue notices to the encroachers and make them tenants and collect monthly rent,” said Mr Nayeemullah Shareef of the WPPC.

Majlis Bachao Tehreek leader Amjedullah Khan noted that the government was one of the biggest encroachers of Wakf properties, running into thousands of acres. “The government issued pattas to Secretariat employees who constructed 850 houses on land belonging to the Dargah Sadullah,” he said.

Board chairman Mohammed Saleem said the board with its limited powers had managed to evict some encroachers by moving court. “We had forced the tenants at various establishments not only to pay rents but also to increase the money. The government is considering granting judicial powers. Till then, we will use the existing norms effectively,” Mr Saleem said. He claimed that no irregularities or scams have been reported since he assumed charge.