BJP Rajya Sabha member Dr K. Laxman on Saturday alleged that over 57,000 acres of Waqf land — around 75 per cent of the total 77,538 acres in Telangana — have been encroached upon due to the involvement of senior leaders from the Congress, BRS and AIMIM.
Hyderabad:BJP Rajya Sabha member Dr K. Laxman on Saturday alleged that over 57,000 acres of Waqf land — around 75 per cent of the total 77,538 acres in Telangana — have been encroached upon due to the involvement of senior leaders from the Congress, BRS and AIMIM.
Addressing a press conference, Dr Laxman claimed that Waqf land worth `1.2 lakh crore had been illegally occupied in the state. “Congress, BRS and AIMIM not only opposed the Waqf Amendment Act, they have also joined hands in the recent MLC elections. Despite the vast resources under Waqf control, the poor among Muslims — including Pasmanda Muslims, the Shia community and Muslim women — have not benefitted,” he averred.
Dr Laxman said that the new law would help document every Waqf property and the income generated from them will be shown in a centralised portal. He pointed out that the then Congress government and the Sachar Committee had reported the annual income from Waqf properties as merely `160 crore, which he said was a gross underestimation.
Citing an example of mismanagement, he said the Mansar Hotel, constructed on Waqf land worth `650 crore in Delhi, fetches a meagre rent of only `12,000 per month, highlighting how the Waqf assets have been misused.
