Complete geo-tagging of Wakf properties in Telangana by 2021: CWC

Hyderabad: Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi chaired Central Waqf Council (CWC) meeting in New Delhi, with Secretary, CWC Shadan Zeb Khan and members of the Council Haneef Ali, T O Noushad, Wasim Khan, Dr Darakhsan Andrabi, Munawari Begum, and Qari Haroon and decided to complete GIS/GPS mapping of Wakf properties in Telangana and across the country by 2021.

The Hans India had taken up the issue of geo-tagging of the properties remain standstill in the Telangana State. Following this, the Union Minister of Minority Affairs decided and directed the members of the Wakf Councilto complete the geo-tagging of wakf properties.

According to the report published in The Hans India, "Mapping process of TS Wakf properties hits a pause button" on July 7, as per the Ministry of Minority Affairs Government of India, the digitalisation of all the State Wakf Boards has been completed and GIS/GPS mapping of more than 95 per cent Wakf properties has been completed, but whereas in Telangana state, no mapping has been done, as the State houses a large number of Wakf lands with thousands of acres.

According to the member of the Central Wakf Council (CWC) Haneef Ali who attended the meeting with Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the meeting discussed the geo-tagging in Telangana State and decided to complete GIS/GPS mapping of lakhs of Wakf properties in Telangana State and across the country by 2021 and also ensure that the better utilisation of Wakf properties for socio-economic-educational empowerment of the society.

He also said that Cabinet Minister G Kishan Reddy also represented a letter to the Central Wakf Council and Union Minister of Minority Affairs regarding the Wakf properties in Telangana and was discussed in the meeting.

The meeting also decided that to contain the menace of encroachment of Wakf properties and the State Wakf Boards have been directed to accelerate the construction of schools, colleges, ITI, hostels, skill development centres, Sadbhav Mandap, etc. on Wakf properties under "Pradhanmantri Jan Vikas Karykram"," he added.

Meanwhile, Haneef Ali said a team of CWC will be conducting a three-day survey in the State from July 29 to 31 and will also conduct a meeting with TS Wakf Board.

CWC will also inspect the major Wakf lands which were encroached and would also pay attention to the complaints received. The agency which paused the GIS/GPS mapping will be penalised and they would be hiring other agency for mapping in State."