Hyderabad Toli Mosque waqf land faces road construction dispute

Activists claim that the GHMC has started work without completing the required land acquisition process.

Hyderabad: Activists are concerned over the construction of a cement concrete (CC) road on waqf land belonging to Toli Mosque in Karwan.

According to them, the property has been facing encroachment for around 25 years.

Although the road is planned to improve connectivity between Puranapul and Langar Houz, activists claim that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has started work without completing the required land acquisition process.

Toli Mosque waqf land dispute dates back to 2013

The president of the Deccan Waqf Protection Society, Osman bin Alhajri, said the GHMC had earlier attempted to construct a road across 15,000 square yards of the property in 2013.

He said he had approached then Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy over the issue. He also filed a case before the Waqf Tribunal.

Following the case, the road work was halted, Alhajri claimed. However, in 2022, the work resumed, he alleged.

Waqf Board’s stand

Recently, Waqf Board Chief Executive Officer Mohammed Asadullah sent a letter to the GHMC Commissioner in this regard.

The CEO said the Waqf Board asked GHMC officials to comply with the law and begin land acquisition proceedings under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

He also called for road-widening and other construction activities to be stopped until the land acquisition process was completed.

Meanwhile, activist Md Habeebuddin called for a comprehensive survey of waqf properties affected by such projects.

He said the survey should help identify the affected land.