The Telangana Waqf Board’s claim to land in the Boduppal area has left about 50,000 people in a state of shock and uncertainty. Approximately 10,000 households living in 21 colonies spread across 300 acres are facing an impending crisis, reported Times Now. The Waqf board verbally told the Registration Department in 2018 that the 300-acre plot of land is Waqf property, citing a 1989 gazette notice which led to a major controversy.
The residents, many of whom have lived there for more than 20 years with what they assert are legitimate government approvals and official land documents, such as pahanis and pattas from the 1950s, have been left stunned by the development. They contend that land records from 1954 and 1955 unequivocally identify the region as patta property.
They further note that over the years, authorization and approvals for property registrations, loans and constructions have been issued by multiple government departments, including the Municipal Corporation, the Water Board, the Electricity Department and the Registration and Stamps Department.
“Two decades ago we have purchased lands after going through all the records since year 1954, 1955 the land we are staying in was showed as patta land. We have taken loans, permission and approval from all govt departments for registration and construction,” a local said.
The matter arose in 2018 when a resident tried to sell his property and the registration office informed him that the Waqf Board had filed litigation for the land. The residents were startled because neither the initial land acquisition nor the building process had made reference to this claim. The Waqf Board did not formally declare ownership of the land in a letter until 2022.
The legitimacy of the Waqf Board’s claim to the land has been challenged by residents, who point to decades of documentation and government endorsements that designate it as patta land. Many are skeptical about the authenticity of the 1989 gazette that the board is using as a reference. According to residents, if the government publishes any gazette, it will be communicated to all departments. However, when they made the purchase, no department notified them that this land was under the jurisdiction of the Waqf board.
It was only after a decade, post-purchase and construction of the building, that the Waqf board laid claim to the land. Currently, as their homes and futures face significant risks, the impacted families are seeking justice. They are advocating for an investigation by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and a revision of the Waqf Act, pointing out that the board should not possess unrestricted power to announce land claims many years after it has been developed and occupied.
The Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS) was utilized to regularize unapproved plots. K Kiran Kumar Reddy, co-chairman of Joint Action Committee on Boduppal Waqf Lands informed the Times of India, “Citizens bought over 3,000 plots three decades ago and built houses on the land. HMDA (Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority) permitted layouts in Ghatkesar and implemented LRS after collecting a penal amount. Now, waqf board’s sudden claim over these plots and freezing of registrations is unacceptable,” in 2023.
According to him, numerous colonies in Boduppal have been designated as waqf property, including RNS Colony, Sri Sai Nagar Colony, Balajinagar, Shivapuri Colony, Maruthinagar, Vinayakanagar, Rajalingam Colony and other locations. The joint action committee has been holding rallies, vanta varpu programs and dharnas to make their point known to the state government.
Naragoni Praveen Kumar, president Telangana Realtors Association expressed, “The state government issued GO No. 15 in September 2020, banning registrations in waqf lands, which are notified in the gazette notification. Before the ban, the government should have reviewed the issue as it’s linked to nearly 6,000 families in Boduppal. These plot owners have paid taxes and fees towards registration, development charges, building fees and property taxes for two decades.”
Masiullah Khan, chairman of Telangana Waqf Board alleged, “The board is protecting land in survey numbers in gazette notifications. If there are claims by people, they can move court and get the order for removal of survey numbers from the gazette.”
The Federation of Boduppal Municipal Corporation Colonies Welfare Associations urged that 328 acres of residential land be taken off the Waqf property list by the state government, that same year. They said that residential colonies made about 95% of the land. Federation representatives disclosed that attempts to reach Labour Minister Chamakura Malla Reddy were unsuccessful and urged Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to get involved. They added, “The Minister is avoiding such a serious issue rather than taking it up with the CM.”
The owners of the 328 acres in different survey numbers in Boduppal had pattadar passbooks and title deeds for the previous 50 years, according to federation chairman Rapolu Ramulu, vice-chairman Adla Srinivas Reddy, president Chenchala Narsing Rao, general secretary Gujjula Chandrashekhar, and treasurer K. Ramakrishna Reddy. This was also evident from revenue records and the proprietors were farmers. 95% of the land sold by the owners during the past thirty years has been developed into residential colonies.
The gram panchayat issued permissions for these residential complexes. These colonies received utilities like CC roads, drains and water and electricity lines with the establishment of the Boduppal Municipal Corporation. However, three years ago, plots and land parcels in these colonies were listed as prohibited land, indicating that they were Waqf land. These land lots were no longer for sale and even licenses for extensions of existing homes were being refused. They mentioned that the owners of the property were all middle-class or impoverished individuals who used their hard-earned money to purchase it.
