Lanco’s Wakf Land Again Under The Scanner

The controversy ridden Lanco Hills project at Manikonda is back into focus with the government hinting at resuming the ‘wakf’ land. This is yet another setback to the infrastructure major which suffered a blow after the A.P. High Court ruled that the 108 acre of land being developed as a residential-cum-commercial venture actually belonged to the Wakf Board.

In fact the vast tracts of land allotted by the A.P Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) in Manikonda jagir belonging to Dargah Hazrath Hussain Shah Wali to various companies are embroiled in controversy right from 2007. Both the Telugu Desam and YSR governments are accused of giving away prime chunks of land to companies at throw away prices.

According to the Wakf Board the Manikonda Jagir comprising a total of 1,654 acres and 32 guntas was given to the Dargah by the 7th Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, through a ‘firman’ in 1920s as service Inam land. Over the years a number of judgments have been delivered confirming it as wakf land and yet the dispute persists.

Government is bound by its own orders of Nazime Atiyat (CCLA) of 1956, ‘Muntakhab’ (decree) given by the Commissioner Board of Revenue in 1958, High Court order of 1961 and the landmark judgement of Justice V. Eswariah delivered in September 2007. All these verdicts clearly stated that the land belonged to the Wakf Board, officials say.

Justice Eswariah said it was not open for the government to dispute the ownership of the property as it was bound by its own orders. He further stated that even if the government wanted to construct a golden city on the wakf land it was not permissible unless it was acquired after following the procedures prescribed in the Wakf Act.

Controversy started when the Telugu Desam government allotted the Mankionda jagir land to Wipro (30 acres), VJIL Consultants Ltd (5 acres), Polaris Software Ltd (7 acres), Infosys (50 acres), Microsoft (54 acres), Boulder Hills (17 acres), EMAAR (110 acres), MANUU (200 acres) and ISB (250 acres). Subsequently, the YSR government allotted 108 acres to the Lanco Hills Technology Park. What is amusing is that all the land allotments took place when the Wakf Board was under the special officer regime.

Interestingly, the first Public Interest Litigation in the matter was filed by the TRS then general secretary, Habeeb Abdul Rahman Al Attas in 2007 stating that the entire landed property belonged to the Dargah Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali. Since then a number of cases have been filed by different parties in the matter. Even the Kiran Kumar Reddy government filed a SLP in the Supreme Court after the High Court gave verdict in April 2012 in favour of the Wakf Board.

This has attracted lot of flak. “How can the government file a case against its own department”, asks Altaf Hyder Rizvi, Majlis MLC. He hopes the TRS government would withdraw the case from the apex court and put the controversy to rest.

Courtesy: The Hindu