Hyderabad: Complaints galore over Wakf lands grabbing

Hyderabad: Taking cue from Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's announcement in the recently concluded assembly session on his government resolve to protect Wakf properties in the State, several activists in the city have started bringing to the notice of officials various encroachments of prime properties. Mateen Shareef, an activist, approached Wakf Board, alleging encroachments at Syed Qabrastan in Jilalguda in Balapur mandal. Osman Mohammed Khan, a Congress leader, protested against alienation of Wakf land in Sy.No. 626, 638 to 640 at Chattanpally village in Farooqnagar under Shadnagar where the properties were allotted illegally.

Seeking fresh survey and demarcation of Qabrastan land in Survey No.76 at Jilalguda, the petitioner alleged that the graveyard became vulnerable to illegal encroachments as there was no boundary wall to safeguard the prime land from encroachments.

"The ruins of a demolished Qutub Shahi mosque in the graveyard is a living proof of the ulterior motives of encroachers who are finding ways to encroach upon the prime land by obscuring the graves," alleged Mateen Shareef. As people coming forward to protect the Wakf lands and properties, the All India Majlis Inquilab-e-Millat (AIMIM) too filed a complaint before Principal Secretary (Minority Welfare), seeking action against encroachments on seven acres of Wakf land at Dargah Mir Mahmood Sahab under Sy.No.333, in Rajendranagar, which is notified under Wakf Gazettee. Mohd Babar Qureshi, in-charge of Chandrayangutta AIMIM (Inquilaab), who filed the complaint, said, "The encroached land at Dargah Mir Mahmood Sahab in Rajendranagar is notified in the Wakf gazette and the same was affirmed in the first report of the House Committee on Wakf Properties presented before Hon'ble Speaker of Assembly in the year 1997."