Activists noted that a full bench is not available most of the time. Karnataka and Maharashtra have two tribunal benches each, and Telangana should follow suit, they said.
Hyderabad:Waqf activists urged the state government to set up additional Waqf Tribunal benches to clear the large number of pending land cases. They said benches should be increased based on workload to ensure speedy disposal of disputes.
Activists noted that a full bench is not available most of the time. Karnataka and Maharashtra have two tribunal benches each, and Telangana should follow suit, they said.
Waqf Board member Syed Bandagi Badesha Quadri said Karnataka has benches in Bengaluru and Kalaburagi, while Maharashtra has two as well. “Depending on the number of cases and workload, the tribunal should have two benches,” he said.
Quadri added that around 1,500 cases are pending and counters are not being filed regularly. He urged the Board to submit counters on time and suggested making case filing and tracking online.
Activist Habeebuddin said the Board should focus on filing counters and following up, as cases have been lost due to lapses. He said disputes and encroachments were the main reasons for the rise in cases.
Parsis Celebrate Independence Day, Novroz
Hyderabad:The Parsi community in the city celebrated Independence Day along with Novroz, their New Year’s Day. The Zoroastrian Club at Secunderabad held a flag-hoisting ceremony in the morning, while prayers were offered in fire temples across the city.
Novroz, the Parsi New Year, falls on Saturday as the Zoroastrian community follows the Shahen Shahi calendar.
Congregational celebrations took place at the Zoroastrian Club, where traditional dining was accompanied by music and games. “The community engaged the whole day in prayers and cultural events. All fire temples were busy with members arriving from morning onwards,” said Antia, a senior member.
Though small in size, the Zoroastrian community has had a presence in Hyderabad since before Independence, with many members known as entrepreneurs.
DCA raids 43 shops selling weight-loss drugs
Hyderabad:The Telangana Drugs Control Administration (DCA) has launched a special enforcement drive against illegal sale of weight-loss drugs, raiding medical shops across the state and finding violations at 43 establishments.
The August 14 drive focused on drugs containing Tirzepatide and Semaglutide, including Mounjaro, Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, besides generic formulations. Officials also checked for spurious and counterfeit versions amid growing demand.
Violations included selling prescription medicines without specialist prescriptions, failure to issue or maintain bills, non-maintenance of registers, dispensing medicines without a registered pharmacist and other breaches of the Drugs Rules. Show-cause notices have been issued to all 43 shops, with further action to follow under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.
The DCA advised people not to self-medicate with weight-loss drugs and to use them only under specialist supervision. It also warned against buying from unregulated online platforms or unauthorised sellers, where products could be spurious or unsafe.
