The Telangana Waqf Board is facing significant challenges, with over 75% of its properties encroached upon and more than 3,500 legal cases underway to reclaim approximately 55,000 acres of land worth billions of rupees. The board claims ownership of over 77,000 acres across the state, but only 22,000 acres are free from litigation. Contributing factors include outdated land records by the revenue department, occupation by squatters, and delays in issuing necessary gazette notifications. As the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 looms, Waqf officials worry about the potential requirement to prove land ownership, complicating their reclamation efforts.
With over 75% of its properties encroached upon over the years, the Telangana Waqf Board is currently engaged in more than 3,500 legal cases to reclaim approximately 55,000 acres of land, valued at billions of rupees. These parcels are spread throughout the state, particularly in the districts of Rangareddy, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Mahabubnagar, Sangareddy, and Nizamabad. The Waqf Board asserts that it owns over 77,000 acres across Telangana, but only 22,000 acres remain free of litigation.
Board members attribute the legal challenges primarily to two factors. First, the revenue department failed to update land records to reflect the board's claims. Second, in some areas, the land has been occupied by squatters. Additionally, delays in issuing gazette notifications following government surveys and verifications have compounded the issue, with most notifications relating to Waqf properties being initiated in the early 1990s and published by 2000.
Despite allegations that the Waqf Board has recently issued notifications asserting ownership of the land, officials clarify that the basis for their claims comes from a survey conducted in 1961. They emphasize that the delays in gazette notifications were due to technical issues. Since 2015, the Waqf Board has repeatedly urged district collectors to update the records for its land parcels and to cease registering Waqf lands to other parties, but these requests have largely been disregarded.
According to sources from the Waqf Board, legislation mandates that district collectors update revenue records within six months following the submission of a survey report by the government. To illustrate the impact of the failure to record Waqf land, an official cited the example of the former Andhra Pradesh government, which transferred 1,950 acres in Manikonda to the APIIC, leading to its auctioning to various infrastructure and multinational companies.
Waqf officials have expressed concern that if the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 is passed in the upcoming parliamentary session, the Board may be required to demonstrate ownership of its lands to district collectors, potentially complicating their efforts to reclaim these properties.
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