Hyderabad, May 31: Telangana State Wakf Board has intervened to stop demolition of a mosque by municipal authorities and Irrigation Department in Serilingampally area in Greater Hyderabad.
Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) demolished the compound wall of Masjid-e-Habeeb Unnisa located at Maqtha Mahboobpet.
Claiming that the mosque is built on the land of a lake, GHMC officials reached with a bulldozer to demolish it. Local Muslims gathered there to resist the action by the municipal authorities and lodged their strong protest. The municipal staff, however, pulled down the compound wall and warned that they would come with full force to demolish the mosque.
According to the managing committee of the mosque, it was built four years ago on 225 square yards of a registered land. The plot was given as Wakf by a gentleman. The mosque had a tin shed and recently the committee started work on building a permanent structure with an RCC roof.
Local residents say though there are many buildings around the mosque, the GHMC is targeting only the mosque.
Condemning the demolition, Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) leader Amjed Ullah Khan demanded a thorough inquiry by the state government into the action by some biased officers of GHMC who carried out the demolition without giving proper notice in advance.
GHMC alleges that the mosque has been constructed without any authorisation in the Full Tank Level (FTL)/buffer zone of Pedda Cheruvu, which is a violation of building rules.
However, Amjed Ullah Khan stated that the namaz at the mosque started four years ago when the structure had only a tin shed.
Khan said that seven months ago the RCC slab work was undertaken to build the mosque after obtaining the necessary permissions from GHMC.
On learning about the incident, Telangana State Wakf Board swung into action. Its Chairman Syed Azmatullah Hussaini sent a team of officials from Wakf Board and Minority Welfare Department. They spoke to officials of GHMC and Irrigation Department about the demolition attempt.
The team was told that permission of GHMC and Irrigation Department was not taken for construction of the mosque.
The mosque is said to be in Full Tank Level (FTL)/Buffer Zone of a lake.
After receiving the team’s report, Wakf Board chairman spoke to GHMC and Irrigation Department officials. It was decided to maintain the status quo till June 6.
GHMC and Irrigation Department along with Wakf Board will conduct a joint survey of the land.
