Hyderabad: Wakf Board warned against void-ab-initio land allotment

Hyderabad: After a dilly-dallying, the Telangana State Wakf Board has reportedly allotted nearly 14 acres of land to a Fruit Merchant Association at Pahadi Shareef area close to APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex on Srisailam Highway.

The land in survey no.90 at Pahadi Shareef area was allotted to establish a fruit market to rehabilitate those merchants who were displaced from Kothapet fruit market after the facility was shifted to Batasingaram recently.

It is learnt that nearly 46.23 acres of Wakf land of Dargah Baba Sharfuddin was available in Sy.No.90, 99/1, 91 and 92 in Mamidipally village of Balapur mandal under Rangareddy district out of which 14 acres were allotted for setting up a fruit market to rehabilitate the displaced merchants.

However, what makes the situation complex here is the earlier order of the Wakf Board wherein some extent of land was already allotted to Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TIMIRIS) for setting up residential institutions for minority students. Besides, the board also earmarked some extent of land for the graveyard after the Coronavirus outbreak in the year 2020 and a board was also erected. However, the Wakf board is now claiming that the land allotment to TIMIRIS was cancelled and the same was allotted to Fruit Marchants Association.

It is also learnt that while TIMIRIS was allotted land on 100 years of lease on a monthly rent of Rs 10,000 per acre, the Fruit Merchant Association, that won the tender, bid a price of Rs.35,000 per acre per month. This would fetch the Wakf Board a profit of Rs.58.80 lakh per year.

However, the right activists raised the hackles against Wakf Board's decision to hand over the land to a private fruit merchants association instead of a government body that according to them would help maintain transparency and accountability of all the affairs.

Syed Iftekhar Hussaini, General Secretary Association of Safe Wakf Property, alleged that the Wakf Board's decision to hand over the land to a private entity without involving a regulatory body to monitor all the affairs is a void-ab-initio dealing and may cause damage to very purpose of the institution.

"Generally the fruit, flower and vegetable markets performed under the supervision of market committees in direct control of the Agriculture Department. However, in this case, all the things have been done without calling a meeting, placing an agenda and passing a resolution. Agenda copy was simply sent to the members at their residences over the night and the whole process was completed clandestinely keeping the public into dark," he alleged.

"Wakf Board should cancel the deal with a private entity and involve itself directly or agriculture department in shed allotments to merchants in order to ensure transparency in running the fruit market or else we would be compelled to take legal action against the Wakf Board," Iftekhar warned.