TMREIS seeks Waqf land for school buildings in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) has proposed to acquire State Waqf Board land to construct buildings for its schools in the Hyderabad district. The property will be taken on a long lease of 100 years for building 18 schools in and around the city. Since government land is not available in the state capital, TMREIS management thought of taking Waqf Board land. A letter in regards has been addressed to the Waqf Board, and TMREIS expects the latter to make a decision in its next meeting.

If the proposal gets through, it will be a win-win situation for both institutions. Waqf Board has large parcels of land in Telangana, but most of it is under encroachment. By leasing out a portion of its land to TMREIS, it will not only ensure the protection of its property but also earn revenue by charging the current market value.

Presently, TMREIS has 204 schools across the state. Of this, 187 are functioning from rented premises and the rest from government buildings. TMREIS plans to have its buildings, but they face the problem of scarcity of land, especially in Hyderabad. Under the Multi-sectoral Development Programme now called Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram, phase-wise construction of 54 school buildings has been taken up.

Under phase I and II, thirteen schools are grounded in Adilabad, Nizamabad, Zaheerabad, and Ranga Reddy districts. These school buildings are in the final stage of construction. Tenders for the construction of 10 school buildings in the third phase have been called. In the fourth phase, TMREIS plans to construct 31 school buildings, and of this, 18 will be in Hyderabad district alone. Government land is readily available elsewhere, but in Hyderabad, it is a big problem.

“We have already written to the Waqf Board and are hopeful it will agree to our request and allot its land on lease,” said B Shafiullah, Secretary of TMREIS.

The Centre has sanctioned a sum of Rs 620 crore for the construction of 31 school buildings, a few junior colleges, and hostels. The money will be shared in the ratio of 60:40 by the Government of India and the Telangana government.

As part of his pet programme to empower minorities, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has established 204 residential schools and two residential junior colleges in the state. The idea is to ensure the overall development of children through fully residential schools.