A seven-storey structure, intended to generate revenue for the Waqf Board, has been lying vacant for nearly a decade, thanks to a decision paralysis.
Touted as the Waqf Garden View Mall in 2012, spread over a prime and immensely valuable land parcel in Hyderabad, opposite one of the city’s prime lung spaces - the Public Gardens - and a stone’s throw from the Telangana State Legislative Assembly, the structure was slated to be let out to companies. But now, despite all that is working in its favour - the centrality of location included - it lies in a state of disrepair.
The cold shell G+7 structure with two basements on an approximately 3,800 square yard land parcel was completed in 2012, at a time when Syed Ghulam Afzal Biyabani served as the Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Waqf Board.
“The land on which the building is constructed is worth several hundred crores,” said waqf protection activist Syed Ifteqar Hussaini. “But more importantly, the then Andhra Pradesh Waqf Board, and now the TSWB could have generated a revenue of several crores if they had given the structure on lease to genuine companies on time, but this did not happen. Later, legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi suggested that offices of Minorities Welfare Department be set up. But this too has not happened.”
Mr. Hussaini suggested that given that the structure has been vacant for several years, it should be examined for structural stability.
A senior TSWB official said that while a lease tender was issued in 2017, no decision was taken on potential lessees. While rough estimates of what the property could be worth were made, no concrete steps in the recent past were taken to establish at what rate portions of the building could be let out. “It appears that leasing was stopped from going forward. Whenever it rains, we see basements are flooded,” the source said, adding that no valuation of property was taken up. “Opposite the building is the Telugu University, and the State Assembly is close by. This is an important location.”
When contacted, TSWB Chairman Masiullah Khan, who took charge on Saturday, said that drawing up plans for the proper utilisation of the structure is an item on his agenda. “We will look into the matter and decide accordingly. We will ensure that we do not just say empty words, but will do something meaningful with the structure,” he said.
