Hyderabad: Make Wakf Board records tally with endowments data

Nampally: The All India Muslim Minority Organisation demanded that the TS Wakf Board records should be synchronised with those of the Endowments department, as it would clear the air of mystery surrounding some of the important properties, whose original records have remained with the latter.

Speaking to media persons, the key functionaries of the organisation, MA Siddiqui, the former director of AP State Minority Finance Corporation, Sanaullah Khan MA Haq and Md Shakeel, who represent SC, ST, BC Muslim Front, and advocate Laeeq claimed that AP State Wakf Board's official letter in 2006 had sought copies of records from Book of Endowment from Commissioner of Endowments Department as many Wakf institutions were found registered decades ago.

"But till now the officials of the Board, even after formation of the Telangana, are not able to retrieve the copies. It would help in synchronising the records between the two departments," said Abdul Haq.

1 lakh acres of Wakf land lost

Referring to the report of the House Committee, 1995, in which Asaduddin Owaisi was also a member, Sanaullah held that the committee had mentioned that there was 1,33,209 acre of Wakf land within Telangana. But after formation of Telangana the government has been claiming that it is 77,000 acres of which only 40,000 acres is recorded. "Close to 1 lakh acres of land has vanished from the records in these 25 years.

It is being alleged that in fact the Telangana government which came to power with the promise of securing Wakf lands has sealed the records room of Wakf Board to slowly take over one after another the records of importance, as access was only provided to officials from other departments like revenue," pointed out Sanaullah.

Land grabbing cases against Wakf Board members

While taking a dig at the claims by MIM floor leader, Akbaruddin Owaisi who was critical of the Wakf Board functioning during his address in the Assembly, the members of the organisations questioned as to who was running the board from behind.

"In fact, several of the existing Committee's board members were facing charges and are yet to come clear of their cases for land grabbing of Wakf properties," they added.