Hyderabad: Telangana State Waqf Board chairman Mohd Saleem and the visiting team of the board were shocked during their visit to Ashoorkhana that it was going to be converted into a hotel at Qilla Golconda. When questioned, a person came forward and informed them that he had entered into an agreement of lease with the secretary Auqaf Committee of H.E.H. The Nizam’s Trust.
Mr Saleem expressed displeasure over the failure of the Trust in protecting the Waqf properties for which the latter was the custodian. He inspected various other Waqf Institutions which are under the management of the Trust.
He started his visit from the Masjid-e-Jodhi, King Kothi where the VII Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan is laid to rest. He paid floral tribute to the departed soul. He found that the land belonging to the Masjid had also been grabbed and a neighbor erected a parking lot on it.
When the team reached the Qilla Golconda, they were shocked when they saw the construction works going on inside the Ashoorkhana. The board chairman was informed that the Trust had leased out the space. Secretary of the trust Imran Khan also confirmed the same. Mr Saleem instructed them to immediately stop the works and asked the lease holder to approach the Board with the lease documents. He instructed the secretary of the trust to immediately cancel the lease.
Mohd Saleem also inspected the locked Masjid at Shaikpet which is under the control of the Department of Archeology.
He instructed the officials to remove the debris and allow the local people to pray there. He inspected the Masjid Osman Gunj and Jamia Masjid Afzal Gunj and found that the shops had been refusing to pay rentals either to the Trust or the Board.
He instructed the office-bearers and Board officials to issue memos to all defaulters and collect the rents and dues.
