Waqf land in Andhra Pradesh will be geo-tagged, says new Chairperson Abdul Azeez

32,000 acres of the total 60,000 acres of Waqf land have been encroached upon due to prolonged neglect, says Shaik Abdul Azeez

Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board will soon undertake an exercise to geo-tag its land properties to safeguard them from land grabbers, its Chairperson Shaik Abdul Azeez has said..

Mr. Azeez was unanimously elected at the board meeting held at its Vijaywada headquarters on Tuesday, under the supervision of Prakasam district Collector Thameem Ansaria, who is one of the members of the board.

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Azeez said that 32,000 acres of the total 60,000 acres of Waqf land had been encroached upon due to prolonged neglect.

“The main role of Waqf Board is to generate revenue through the land properties and take up welfare measures for the poor. However, it has become a difficult task to safeguard the properties, leave alone generating revenue from it,” Mr. Azeez said.

The Waqf Board Chairperson is understood to have readied a roadmap to reclaim the lands in a phased manner. “When Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu asked me to take up this role, I readily accepted the task,” he said.

“The Waqf Board could not take up any meaningful decisions as it was in a state of standstill during the YSRCP’s regime,” he alleged, offering to set things right soon.

Published - December 18, 2024 08:03 am IST