The Modi government has introduced a bill to amend the Waqf rules in the Lok Sabha. As a non-governmental organisation, Waqf has the largest amount of land and property in the country. Do you know which states and cities have the largest amount of Waqf property?
City with the most Waqf properties
Hyderabad alone has Waqf properties not in hundreds but in thousands. Waqf owns 77,000 properties in Hyderabad. That is why this city is considered the Waqf capital of India. Hyderabad alone is home to 30% of the country's Waqf properties.
Waqf in Hyderabad owns these major properties
- Mecca Masjid (400 years old, more than 10 acres of land)
- Commercial shops around Charminar (income worth crores of rupees annually).
- Thousands of acres of land donated by the Nizams of the Deccan region.
Telangana richest Waqf Board
in the country Waqfs in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have 1.2 lakh properties. Telangana Waqf Board is the richest Waqf Board in the country. Andhra Pradesh has properties like Shahi Masjid (Kurnool) which is a historical property more than 200 years old. There are agricultural lands in Kadapa, Anantapur.
– Telangana Waqf Board has an annual income of ₹500 crores. (From rent and donations).
– In Andhra Pradesh, 85% of Waqf lands are in rural areas.
Which state is on the first position?
Uttar Pradesh comes first in terms of Waqf properties. It has 1.5 lakh Waqf properties (more than 20% of the country). But in terms of the total value of the properties, it is on the second position.
– It has the land of Bada Imambara and mosques in Lucknow.
– It has industrial land and religious places in Kanpur, Meerut, Moradabad.
Situation in Karnataka
– More than 30,000 Waqf properties in Bengaluru, Gulbarga, Bidar.
– According to the 2023 report, 90% of Waqf land in Bengaluru is illegally occupied.
West Bengal
– Historical mosques and tombs in Kolkata, Murshidabad.
– Commercial land along the Hooghly River.
That means Waqf has the most properties in five states of the country. These states are Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal.
Cities with most valuable Waqf properties
1. Hyderabad (Telangana):
Mecca Masjid complex (estimated value: over ₹5,000 crore).
Shops around Charminar (rent over ₹50 crore per year).
2. Delhi:
– Jama Masjid and surrounding land (property worth over Rs 3,000 crore)
– Hotels and shops in Nizamuddin Dargah area.
3. Ajmer (Rajasthan):
– Ajmer Sharif Dargah (Annual offerings: above Rs 100 crore).
4. Mumbai (Maharashtra):
– Haji Ali Dargah (Premium land near beach).
Interesting facts
– Telangana Waqf Board is the richest in the country, the total value of its properties is estimated to be more than ₹ 1 lakh crore.
– 40% of the Waqf land in Uttar Pradesh is cultivable, which gives a huge income to the board.
– Management of Waqf properties in Kerala is considered to be the most transparent.
– The actual value of 75% of Waqf properties is much more than the government records.
PC:News18
