Telangana Government to probe Dargah land encroachments

Hyderabad: In the light of Government Order 15, which bans registration of the Wakf Board properties, Minister for Minorities Welfare Koppula Eshwar directed higher officials to cancel registration of illegal encroachments of lands attached to Dargah Hazrat Hussain Shahwali. According to sources, the minister directed Principal Secretary Ahmed Nadeem and other higher officials to look into the alleged land encroachments issue in Manikonda Jagir. He asked Nadeem to initiate action after verification.

Earlier, a representation in this regard was made by Association of Save Waqf Properties, which claimed that around 800 acres of attached property of Dargah was lost to the squatters in the recent years. The association requested the minister to block further registrations. The Dargah has a vast land attached with it to the extent of about 1,652 acres in about 78 survey numbers in Manikonda Jagir village in Serilingampally Mandal of Rangareddy District.

"The Wakf Board and Dargah have successfully contested the title suit in the High Court. However, the opposite parties have challenged it in the Supreme Court of India and the case is still pending. Unfortunately, land sharks are grabbing the open lands with active collusion of the government officials using fake and fabricated documents. They have been entering into transactions that are absolutely illegal and unlawful. There is a need to protect the available prime lands from further grabbing and encroachment," said the General Secretary of Association, Syed Ifteqar Hussain, and Wakf Properties Protection Cell President Nayeemullah Shareef. They urged the minister to issue instructions to the registration department for cancellation of registrations which were done earlier and block further registrations.