White Paper sought on AP Waqf Board lands

PNS|Vijayawada

Andhra Pradesh Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamat has demanded that the AP State Waqf Board and the government release a White Paper on the illegalities, corruption, encroachments, and assets of the Waqf Board in the State. APASWJ co-convener and Sufi mentor Altaf Raza said that a huge chunk of Waqf lands had encroached, but the APSWB was reluctant to initiate action to reclaim those lands. Hence APASWJ started a movement for the protection of Waqf lands.

Addressing a press meeting here on Tuesday, Altaf Raza said that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had given APSWB chairman post to Khader Basha, but he and APSWB utterly failed to protect Waqf lands and restrain encroachment. He recalled that the previous chairman also failed in this regard as there was no action from APSWB to get back the encroached Waqf lands. He said that APASWJ protested against appointing a non-Sunni person to the APSWB, so the current chairman issued a notice to him in retaliation alleging that Kondapalli Shah Bukhari Mosque land was misused. He said that the chairman conspired to give the mosque’s land to private persons, hence the notice.

Altaf Raza explained that Kondapalli Shah Bukhari Mosque Nitya Annadana Committee was conducting ‘Annadanam’, for which cooking would be done on the premises of the mosque complex. He explained that there was no wrong in cooking food in that area as the food was prepared in the vacant areas near mosques during Ramzan to offer food to fasting people. He said that a person with evil intentions lodged a complaint to APSWB and the chairman used the complaint to trouble the mosque committee.

Altaf Raza said that APSWB used to possess 65,000 acres of land, of which 35,000 acres had encroached. He stated that if APSWB got back fifty percent of the encroached lands, then APASWJ would felicitate Khader Basha and APSWB officials in every district of AP State.