After row, Naidu scraps waqf board plan for commercial development of its land

HYDERABAD: The Andhra Pradesh government has scrapped the state waqf board’s April 3 notification to seek proposals for leasing Waqf land across the state for commercial purposes, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

A senior official of the minority welfare department said the order to cancel the waqf board’s notification was issued following instructions from chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday evening.

The official said the waqf board on April 3 called for “expression of interest” from individuals and organisations for the development of waqf land ranging from 1 to 200 acres for commercial purposes, including establishment of petrol pumps, shopping complexes, commercial buildings, and multiplexes.

Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board chairman Sheikh Abdul Aziz said the notification was only intended to invite private parties to come up with proposals for development of land to generate funds that could be used for the community/

The waqf board had been exploring options to generate income that could be used for the welfare of the Muslim community, including scholarships for students and financial aid for the poor. “Inviting private parties for the development of Waqf lands is one such option,” Aziz told reporters shortly after attending a meeting convened by the chief minister on Wednesday evening.

Naidu had called the meeting following a controversy over the waqf board’s move which triggered an uproar within the Muslim community. Former Congress legislator and prominent Muslim leader Shaik Mastan Vali from Guntur said the waqf board had no right to exploit waqf land for commercial purposes. “This is nothing but a systematic exploitation of the Wakf properties, as feared by the Muslim groups after the passage of Wakf Amendment Bill in Parliament,” Vali said.

He demanded that any decision on sale or development of wakf land should be approved by the state cabinet and ratified by the wakf board. “The board cannot simply issue a notification for monetisation of Wakf properties,” Vali said.

Naidu responded to criticism from the community to the board’s move and called a meeting on Wednesday evening. The senior minority welfare department official quoted above said Naidu was told that the waqf board led by Abdul Aziz, a leader of the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), had issued the notification without informing the state government or seeking its approval.

The chief minister ordered the immediate withdrawal of the notification and directed the department to take urgent measures to protect Wakf properties. “He said such lands must only be used for the development and welfare of Muslim community,” the official added.

After the meeting, Abdul Aziz said the board was low on funds. “The board doesn’t have adequate income even for salaries, maintenance, and other expenses,” Aziz said. For the future, he added that the board shall take any decision only in consultation with the state government.

Aziz, who took over as chairman in December last year, said more than 36,000 acres of the state waqf board’s 69,000 acres are under encroachment over the years. “The present board is focused on protecting the remaining 33,000 acres, and finding legitimate means to generate revenue from them,” he added.