Wakf Board slammed for declining Metro offer

Nampally: TS Wakf Board's reluctance to lease out the unoccupied proposed 'Garden view mall' to Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited (HMRL) is drawing flak, as it could have generated a good source of revenue estimated to be about Rs 50 lakh per month, besides non-refundable advance of Rs 1 to 1.5 crore.

According to official sources, the huge building adjacent to Haj House which was earlier named as Garden-View WakfMall remains unoccupied even after years of its construction. When the HMRL began its operation of Metro Rail on the Nampally stretch, it approached the Wakf authorities because of the strategic location of the 7-floor structure (with 2-floors of basement).

The structure is just a few feet away from the Metro Station at Assembly, and therefore they presented a good offer to the building, which remains pending.

"If the offer was accepted, it would have supported the salaries of entire Wakf Board and some other wings," sources said.

The dilemma over who will use the building, even as offers, such as Metro Rail's, are yet to be considered. This huge structure adjacent to the Haj House, which was started with much hype almost a decade agoafter the then Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy laid foundation stone,still remains under construction and now became a breeding ground for mosquitoes, with its basement filled with water.

The massive structure spread on 3,800 sqft land complements the height of the Haj House.It was originally meant for commercial use and was aimed to help sustain the Wakf Board coffers and to fund welfare schemes of minorities. Even though the main structure was completed about 5 years ago, the officials say that due to the lack of funds the building could not be finished.

"The government has decided to support the minority welfare schemes by renting it or leasing itfor any commercial use. But, in the latest development it was decided to use the building as space for remaining departments that are located in different parts in the city," said an official.

Answering to a query in a recent meeting about the Garden View Waqf Mall, TS Waqf Board Chairman Mohammed Saleem said that all minority offices would come under one roof, including minorities training centers, technical and non-technical, for minorities etc, or building would be given on a lease to the MNC company and an advertisement were also published in a newspapers regarding this, but still nothing is confirmed, Saleem said.

The delay has slowly transformed the basement of the building into a mosquito breeding ground with water filled up to almost 4-feet inside the building. Some feel that if there was no way for the water to drain, the structure would also become weak.