Hyderabad: In a move aimed at safeguarding govt and institutional lands from illegal transactions, the revenue department has directed all departments holding land — including revenue, endowments, waqf and forest departments — to submit updated details of their properties and land claims for inclusion under the prohibited properties list under section 22-A of the Registration Act.While most departments have furnished details of their landholdings, covering nearly one crore acres that have been classified as prohibited from registration, the Telangana Waqf Board is yet to submit its revised list. Waqf board members fear the delay could leave waqf properties vulnerable to encroachments, illegal registrations and disputed ownership claims.Board members said several instances of alleged illegal registrations of waqf lands have already come to light, particularly in Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri districts, where land grabbers allegedly registered waqf properties using survey numbers. Many such cases are currently being contested in courts.Sources in the waqf board said that while the board’s earlier records contained around 33,900 properties spread over about 77,000 acres, the number has now increased to nearly 53,000 properties following fresh registrations, additions and revisions. They said the updated records also have to reflect outcomes of various court cases and corresponding changes in the Bhu Bharati portal.Admitting the delay, Telangana Waqf Board chief executive officer Mohammed Asadullah said the revised list had not yet been submitted due to the ongoing exercise of updating property registrations on the Centre-directed UMEED portal.“We are doing some corrections and verification of registered properties on the portal. Once it is done, the 22-A list will be sent to the registration department and the revenue department,” the CEO told TOI on Friday.In Sept 2020, the Telangana govt brought all waqf lands, along with endowments, forest and other govt lands, under the prohibited properties category. The exercise was based on the first survey of waqf properties conducted between 1967 and 1987, with gazette notifications issued during 1999, 2000 and 2001. Based on those notifications, an auto-lock mechanism was implemented to prevent registration of waqf lands.Although a second survey of waqf properties was conducted subsequently, the findings were not published through gazette notifications, limiting their incorporation into official records.Waqf board elected member Abul Fateh Syed Bandagi Badesha Quadri urged the board to immediately submit the revised section 22-A list incorporating details from the second survey to strengthen protection of waqf properties.“It has come to our notice, even the occupancy right certificates (ORCs), which are issued on inam lands, of waqf lands are being issued on individual names. The ORC should be issued in the name of institutions such as mosques or dargahs not on individual names and recorded in revenue records,” the board member said.He also urged the govt to depute four to five deputy collectors or tahsildars to assist the waqf board in verifying land records and protecting waqf properties from encroachments and unauthorised transactions.
