Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao on Thursday instructed that the state's Wakf Act should be formulated in accordance with the Central Act and demanded the formation of two committees for its protection.
In a meeting with Wakf Board members at Pragati Bhavan, the Chief Minister said that one committee should record the details of the properties while the second should inspect the ground-level realities.
The Telangana government has launched a land records purification movement to tackle the increasing menace of land mafias in the state. Chandrashekhar Rao said that the top priority should be given to the protection of the Wakf properties under the movement.
He also demanded identification of the Wakf properties, their registration in the revenue records and their protection with the help of construction of fencing and compound walls.
He wanted an action plan to be prepared that would return the illegally grabbed lands to its previous owners. He assured all possible support from the government.
He requested the Revenue department and Wakf Board to immediately settle their dispute if any and stressed that a land once marked as Wakf Board's should remain as it forever.