To safeguard waqf properties in Karnataka, the state’s Waqf Board has initiated a comprehensive plan to identify and secure these lands with compound walls, Housing, Waqf, and Minority Welfare Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan announced.
During the inauguration of Kalaburagi and Yadgiri District Waqf Adalats, Khan highlighted the urgent need for such measures, citing the significant encroachment on waqf property. Of the state’s total 1.08 lakh acres of waqf land, approximately 85,000 acres have been illegally occupied.
Kalaburagi district alone faces encroachment on 3,610 acres out of its 21,440 acres of waqf property, while Yadgiri district has lost 123 acres of its 6,194-acre waqf land. To address these issues, the Waqf Board has established a dedicated Adalat in Kalaburagi and urged citizens to actively protect waqf property.
In recent weeks, Kalaburagi received 368 applications, including 100 encroachment complaints, 55 requests for cremation land, and 213 other inquiries. Yadgiri district received 82 applications, with 38 related to encroachment and 33 concerning cemetery land.
The Waqf Board has ambitious plans to improve the lives of the Muslim community. These include providing housing for poor families in every taluk, rental housing for clerics and imams, freezers for each taluk, and ambulances for each district.
In a significant development, the state cabinet approved the establishment of pre-degree colleges in 15 districts, including Kalaburagi, Bidar, Koppal, and Vijayanagara, at a cost of ₹47.76 crore. These colleges will benefit minority female students seeking higher education.
Additionally, the Waqf Board plans to repurpose the Haj Bhavan in Bangalore, currently used only during the Haj season, into a coaching center for competitive exam preparation.
Waqf Board Chairman K. Anwar Pasha emphasized the importance of these initiatives, noting that since the Congress came to power, Waqf Adalats have been organized in several districts to protect waqf property.
Kalaburagi North MLA Kaneez Fatima was present.
