Wakf’s assets must be in its name: Chief

Officials of the revenue and police departments belonging to Ranga Reddy and Vikarabad districts attended a meeting presided over by Telangana Wakf Board chairman Mohammed Saleem. A key result was revenue officials assuring reconciliation between the revenue and wakf records pertaining to various properties belonging to the wakf. Mohammed Saleem observed that revenue records have the names of Mutawallis entered against wakf properties. As such, when a Mutawalli dies, his successors take over the wakf property. The wakf chairman thus requested the revenue department to mention name of the wakf institution in the column of owner or pattedar, instead of the individual Mutawalli.

He pointed out that though the Telangana Wakf Board is the richest in the country, it has been lagging far behind in terms of revenue from the properties it owned. This is largely because its properties were in illegal possession of individuals or were under encroachment.

He said according to GO MS No. 3 dated 19-02-2016, there shall be a District Wakf Protection and Coordination Committee for every district headed by the respective district collector to monitor, manage and protect wakf properties. However, unless there cooperation is from revenue and police departments, wakf board will be unable to check encroachments.

The board chairman asked revenue officials to avoid issuing land pattas or grant occupancy rights certificates against wakf properties in Ranga Reddy and Vikarabad districts. In both these districts, thousands of acres have been notified as wakf lands.

But land mafias are active in grabbing these lands using fraudulent documents.