The Telangana State Waqf Board (TSWB) has decided to crack the whip on land sharks by cancelling registration of 300 properties after some individuals illegally transferred the properties on to their names in Rangareddy district and Hyderabad.
Mohammed Saleem, chairman, TSWB, said these properties are located in Mamidipally, Balapur and Dabeerpura. “Of the 300 properties, the process has begun for cancellation of registration and resumption of land from the land grabbers,” he told TOI on Tuesday.
The board is meeting on Wednesday to take important decisions on protecting encroached waqf properties, he said. TOI had reported a few months ago how some individuals grabbed the waqf land illegally and enjoying the riches.
The TSWB got into action after the high court criticised the authorities for failing to remove the encroachers. Waqf board officials said they are planning to take over the properties which are not under litigation and where there is no stay order by the courts.
“In Mamidipally, about 700 acres of land has been swallowed by land sharks. Similarly, 100 acres in Balapur, 500 acres in Maheswaram belonging to Muslim Maternity Hospital and over 100 acres in Kandukur are in the clutches of land grabbers,” a senior official said. In some cases, revenue authorities mutated the waqf land to private persons and firms.
“A property- wise inventory and status is being prepared. Even if there is a court case, senior lawyers are being hired to get the waqf property back,” Saleem asserted. Sources said since the High Court hearing is coming up on December 17, the TSWB authorities want to show some progress on saving the waqf properties.
As per official records, around 75% of waqf properties have been encroached upon in 50 years. CM K Chandrasekhar Rao on the floor of the assembly had admitted that of 77,000 acres of waqf land, 57,000 acres had gone into the hands of land sharks between 1963 and 2013. A few months ago, the state government had banned registration of waqf and endowments land and put the properties under section 22A of Indian Registration Act and brought them under auto-lock system.
