Hyderabad: Of the 33,929 institutions under the control of Telangana Wakf board, including mosques, dargahs, graveyards, ashoorkhanas and chilas, among others, that are spread over 77, 538.07 acres, at least 57,423.91 acres have been encroached. The union government’s proposed amendments to the Wakf Act will further complicate the process of retrieving these land parcels, opined members of the Telangana State Wakf Board (TGWB).While AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had said the other day that the RSS and BJP have all along worked towards ending the board, TGWB members alleged that the Centre is eyeing the board’s properties and has no intention of working for the welfare of minorities. “Through the proposed amendments, the union government is only eying our properties. Why aren’t they proposing similar amendments for departments taking care of assets of other communities?” wondered Syed Azmatullah Hussaini, chairman of TGWB. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, he said that the union government’s proposal related to women’s representation in Wakf board is also a part of the larger plan to take over their properties. “If the Centre is concerned about us, why don’t they give judicial powers to Wakf boards, which has been a long-pending demand,” he quipped. In Telangana, Medak district has the highest number of Waqf institutions (6,325) followed by Ranga Reddy (5,724) and Mahbubnagar (4,561). Hyderabad district has 4,561 Waqf institutions. The main sources of income for TGWB are Wakf fund, rents and leases, sale of marriage booklets and various forms, issue of certificates, and hoardings on their properties. In addition to this, there are six big institutions that are under the direct control of TGWB, whose offerings are put to auction every year.
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