Board’s 6-yr-old building unused
While the TS Wakf Board is planning to develop land parcels and construct commercial complexes to increase its revenue, a building bang next to the Haj House, constructed six years ago, lies unused.
The building was constructed at a cost of `20 crore over a period of three years and completed in 2013. The multi storied building with 1.13 square feet of land attached is lying unoccupied.
Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, said last November that following instructions of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, the building will be converted into a mini secretariat. All wings of the Minority Welfare department will be housed in the building to streamline the functioning of the department and for better coordination.
At present, the offices of four to five wings and sections under the Minority Welfare department are functioning from rented buildings and government pays a monthly rental of `68 lakh.
However, several minority organisations and non-governmental organisations have asked the state government to house the Centre for Educational Development of Minorities (CEDM) and the Telangana Minority Study Circle (TMSC) at the Wakf Complex, adjacent to the Haj House at Nampally.
The CEDM was set up to offer coaching for admission tests for higher education and has been functioning from the Nizam College premises at Basheerbagh for the last two decades. It is funded by the Minority Welfare department while the planning and implementation of the programmes is conducted by Osmania University. Around 6,000 to 7,000 students enrol for various admission tests including EAMCET, ICET and POLYCET.
“The CEDM lacks a spacious building forcing the management to conduct classes in private buildings. All coaching programmes should be conducted at one place,” S.M. Abdul Samad, member, Forum for Educational Empowerment of Minorities said.