Wakf Board wakes up to reclaim usurped land

Balapur: Following a knee-jerk reaction to the 'illegal occupation' of Wakf land at Roshanuddowla Tomb in Balapur Mandal in May, for the second time in months TS Wakf Board team led by its chairman Md Saleem visited the site on Friday.

They expressed shock to find iron sheets erected enclosing the entire land. However, this time, unlike earlier occasion (in May), where action was launched and sheets were removed and Board had claimed its possession, the team decided to embark on a legal path.

This visible chunk of land, which is located close to the fence of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at its rear side in Balapur (near Rohingya camp) remained without fencing. The place where Qutub Shahi tombs are located under survey number 51/3 wherein, 6 acre 18 Guntas wakf land was notified in AP Gazette 6A dated a Feb 7, 1989.

The latest development comes within days of DRDO showing keen interest in acquiring the land chuck, as it abuts its facility. In an official communication to Wakf Board, the Central government agency made its intentions clear, as part of extending its research activities and potential security reasons.

On Friday, Saleem along with CEO Wakf, M A Hameed, local Revenue officials and other Wakf Board employees visited the spot to examine the ground situation at the site, where Tombs are now part of the enclosure, which is claimed by private entities.

Speaking to media persons, Saleem said that this was a clear case of encroachment of Wakf land and the Board will fight tooth and nail to get it back through all legal options at its disposal.

He said after convening a board meeting, a decision would be taken for wresting the land, which historically is part of Wakf, which neither could be transferred nor sold to private individuals. "By engaging senior counsel, we shall be vacating the land in the coming days," he added.

Even though the matter remained in public domain for several months after Wakf activists took to social media, Saleem responding to questions from media persons expressed his ignorance of the 'illegal occupation' and visited the site at the earliest with the intention of initiating some action.