‘Commercial’ Wakf Board set to mop up revenues

The buildings will come at Aghapura and Moghalpura

In a reversal of its earlier decision, the Wakf Board has now resolved to construct two commercial complexes on its property at Aghapura and Moghalpura.

This follows the hue and cry raised over its recent sanction of nearly Rs. 20 lakh to two of its employees to build houses on Wakf land. Now the Wakf Board decided to take back the money advanced to its employees and raise complexes to improve its revenue.

“We feel it is a better way of putting the Wakf property to use. The commercial complexes will be a permanent source of revenue,” said Board’s Chairman Syed Gulam Afzal Biabani.

Lengthy agenda

This is among the several decisions taken by the Wakf Board at its two-day meeting which concluded on Monday. In view of the lengthy agenda comprising 115 items, the Board chose to meet on Sunday also. Except for Rajya Sabha member M.A. Khan, all the other 10 members attended the meeting.

M.A. Waheed, Commissioner, Commissionerate of Minorities Welfare, who is nominated to the Board in place of Syed Omer Jaleel, also attended meeting.

The Board decided to appoint 40 managing committees for various Wakf institutions such as mosques, Ashoorkhanas and graveyards besides 17 Mutawallis (caretakers). In view of large scale irregularities, the Board decided to take four Wakf institutions into its direct management. They are: Dargah Hazrath Maroof Kakri, Nizamabad, Sanivaripeta mosque, West Godavari, Bara Imam Asthana, Machilipatnam and Buddabuddi mosque in Kurnool.

The Board decided to register an Idgah at Medak under section 36 of the Wakf Act, 1995 to ensure its protection. It also resolved to appoint two enquiry officers to look into the allegations against the caretakers of a mosque at Jallapur village in Mahabubnagar district and the irregularities in the Azad service land in Bodhan.

The Board took a serious view of the demolition of some graves by miscreants in Warangal and decided to raise a compound wall and sanctioned Rs. 2 lakh for this purpose. In this connection a complaint was lodged and the police arrested three persons and remanded them to judicial custody, Mr. Biabani said.

He said it was also resolved to purchase two vehicles at a cost of Rs. 8 lakh each for the convenience of the Task Force and Protection teams.