It was in 2012 that the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh State Waqf Board announced grand plans for its seven-storey structure in Hyderabad. It would have anchor tenants, shops and, perhaps, even house companies. Given it was located opposite an important lung space in the city — Public Gardens — it was dubbed the Waqf Garden View Mall. But over a decade later, plans have not taken off, and the proposed mall continues to remain abandoned.
The Telangana State Waqf Board’s Waqf Garden View Mall is in abandoned and in a shambles as it awaits being put to use for either revenue generation or for housing offices of the Minorities Welfare Department, in Hyderabad on November 25, 2022. | Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G
The fate of the Garden View Mall, under the leadership of the waqf board of the undivided State of Andhra Pradesh, which was headed by chairman Syed Ghulam Afzal Biyabani, and in Telangana first under Mohammed Saleem, and now Masiullah Khan, remains undecided.
The structure is beside the Razzack Manzil, from where the offices of the Telangana State Waqf Board (TSWB) and other Minorities Welfare department agencies, such as the Telangana State Haj Committee, now headed by Mr. Saleem, function. Occasionally, the structure is used to house pilgrims during Haj season.
“Apart from just standing there, the structure does nothing. It has no walls; just slabs and stairs, and has been vacant. For months together, the cellar is flooded with rainwater,” an official, who works at Razzack Manzil, said.
For the past several years, the government and the TSWB have been discussing generating revenues through waqf properties. The Waqf Garden View Mall is an example of how an opportunity is lost.
“Imagine how much revenue the waqf board has lost by simply not taking proactive decisions and keeping the building empty. The revenue generated could have gone towards a lot of important developmental or, if permitted, charitable activities,” said activist S.Q. Masood.
after noting that the structure was lying vacant, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi suggested that it be used to house various offices of the Minorities Welfare department. However, that did not materialise.
A TSWB source pointed out that more recently when the new board convened its first meeting, members had proposed to call for open tenders to lease the structure. However, this too did not work out on account of disagreements over calling for open tenders or e-tendering.
In a separate development, given the tussle between the TSWB and its CEO, Shahnawaz Qasim, holding a full additional charge, the search for a full-time CEO is on. The names of two Muslim officers of the rank of Deputy Secretary are yet to be proposed. While sources clarified that there still is sufficient time for that, there appears to be a difficulty in shortlisting names on account of the unwillingness of some to join the board.
