Hyderabad: The Muslim political leaders, intellectuals and professionals under the leadership of the Chairman of All India Muslim Minorities Organisation Syed Mukhtar Hussain decided to put pressure on the Chief Minister KCR to fulfil the promises he made during the last 7 years.
These leaders have decided to stage a “Maha Dharna” on November 21 at Dharna Chowk for demanding judiciary powers to the Telangana wakf board and a government sub-plan on the line of SC ST for the welfare of the state’s minorities.
The Muslim leaders adopted this resolution after a round table conference held in Hyderabad today. They stated that the Chief Minister KCR had made many promises for the welfare of the Muslims and one of them being 12% reservations for the community. They alleged that the government had not kept its promises. On the contrary, the Chief Minister systematically tried to decrease the Muslim’s rights.
“The Telangana Wakf board is the only Wakf Board in the country which was sealed,” the Muslim leaders said. “The activities of the Urdu Academy have also slackened. The incidents of wakf board properties’ encroachments have increased in the state. The Muslims who were already poor become poorer during the TRS rule.”
Addressing the conference as a chief guest the CPI senior leader and ex Rajya Sabha MP Azeez Pasha said, “In a democracy, protest is the only way to put pressure on the government for solving the peoples’ issues. The Chief Minister had promised government employment to one member of every household but now the chief minister has confined himself to Pragathi Bhavani and is not ready to meet anyone. The time has come now for the people to come on the roads and protest. The future plan of action shall be decided after the Dharna”.
The attendees of the conference also reminded the promise made by the state Chief Minister KCR that the Wakf properties shall be recovered from Lanco Hills. He also promised to give judiciary powers to the state wakf board and to set up a wakf commissionerate in the state. But all his promises remained on paper and not a single one has been implemented by him.
In order to review the property issues, the Chief Minister had set up a task force committee headed by the retired IAS officer S K Sinha. Sinha conducted enquiry in the encroachment cases and came to the conclusion that the higher officials are involved in the encroachment of the Wakf properties.
He later on stated that he has not sent his report to either the chief minister or the wakf board. This matter is pending for the last three years while the state assembly speaker had instructed for the submission of the report within 3 months. But still, this report has not been submitted so far.
The attendees also alleged that the chief minister is not serious in giving judicial power to the Wakf board as the state government had not taken any step in this direction so far.
The then secretary of Minority welfare Syed Umer Jaleel had issued a GO for the protection of Wakf properties. He had instructed all the district collectors to set up a Wakf protection committee in every district to be headed by the district collector himself. But no such committee has been set up during the last three years. There are more than 400 cases pending of Wakf properties encroachments. No affidavit has been submitted in any of these cases.
They further alleged that approval was given for the allotment of 50 acres of land to Jahangir Peeran Dargah and Rs. 50 crores were sanctioned but till date no work has been commenced.
The state wakf board has also not taken any action to take back 80 acres of waqf property at Guttala Begumpet worth crores of rupees.
They demanded that the state wakf board must order CBI enquiry into the encroachment of the Wakf properties.
The attendees pointed out that 10 acres of land was allocated for setting up an Islamic Centre but this matter is also pending.
The conference attendees demanded that the chief minister must take serious action to recover the Wakf properties, give judicial power to the wakf board and work for the welfare of the minorities in the state.
The attendees of the conference include M.A. Siddiqui, EX-AP Minorities Commission Member, Mohd. Sanaullah Khan, Convenor, All India Muslim Minority Organization, Masood Ansari, S.K. Afzaluddin of Congress, Mohd Anwar Patel of TRS, Abrar Hussain of BSP, Dr. Lubna Sarwat social activists and several others.
