Hyderabad: The Telangana State Wakf Board has claimed that the demolished mosque in Amberpet area was a gazette notified Wakf property and it would retain the properties in due course. Board officials squarely blamed the GHMC town planning section as it had ignored the claim of the Wakf Board.
Officials of the Wakf Board claimed that GHMC officials were well aware of the existence of the mosque concealed behind the shops of the encroacher of the Wakf property. They claimed that when the Wakf Board was informed about the land acquisition in that area, a detailed letter was addressed by the CEO to the Commissioner GHMC on July 31, 2018.
The Board, in the letter, presented its claim enclosing the gazette and survey commissioner reports on four properties i.e. Dargah Hzt. Amber Miyan, Ashoorkhana Hzt. Abbas, Masjid e Ek Khana and Sarai pacca which were being affected. The Board had raised objection for not notifying and serving notices to it for land acquisition and directly obtaining consent from the concerned Mutawallies/encroachers and awarding the compensation amount to them.
It had also requested that immediate action be taken against Land Acquisition Officers responsible for the lapse in passing the award in favour of encroachers even after a claim was filed by the Wakf Board.
When questioned about the letter, in which the Board had claimed its right on the compensation and had asked why GHMC officials were not restrained from demolishing the mosque, officials clarified that when a portion of the structure which concealed the mosque behind it was being demolished, their team had reached the spot and succeeded in stopping the demolition. They also clarified that the said communication reminding the GHMC authorities to proceed in accordance with the law and involve the Wakf Board, was common in nature.
“We would have never allowed them to raze the mosque if GHMC had been given a notice and intimated us,” they contended.
Chairman Wakf Board, Mr Mohammed Saleem said, “It is a recognised principle that once a Wakf always a Wakf and this was endorsed even by the judiciary.”
He added that the Wakf Board would construct a mosque in consultation with the Government. He hoped that GHMC authorities would take necessary departmental action against the officials responsible for awarding the compensation and demolition. He asked the GHMC authorities to file criminal cases against those persons who received the compensation amount for the Wakf properties.
