Revenue Department to Restore Waqf Record Room Access to Waqf Board
After nine years of state control, the Revenue Department is returning the Waqf Record Room at Haj House to the Waqf Board. This move aims to facilitate the digitization of historical property records onto the central UMEED portal for better management and transparency.
Highlights
- •The Revenue Department is returning control of the Waqf Record Room in Haj House to the Waqf Board after nine years.
- •The decision aims to enable the systematic uploading of Waqf property data to the government's official UMEED portal.
- •The room houses extensive historical records, including documents from the Nizam era in multiple languages.
- •The facility was originally sealed in November 2017 to protect sensitive land records from alleged tampering or destruction.
In a significant administrative shift, the Revenue Department has officially decided to return the Waqf Record Room, located within Haj House in Hyderabad, to the Waqf Board. This decision marks the conclusion of nearly nine years of direct state control over the facility. The directive for this transfer was formally issued to the Waqf Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mohammed Asadullah, by the Hyderabad Collector, Dr. Priyanka Ala.
The Waqf Record Room had been under the exclusive custody of the Revenue Department since November 2017. At that time, the decision to seal the room was enacted under the directives of the then-state administration, which cited an urgent need to protect historical land records from potential tampering or destruction. For the duration of these nine years, the room remained locked, managed by a designated tahsildar tasked with overseeing file retrieval and maintaining security.
Enhancing Digital Accessibility and Data Integrity
The recent move to restore the Waqf Record Room to the Waqf Board is aimed at modernizing record-keeping and ensuring administrative efficiency. Dr. Priyanka Ala clarified that the primary objective of this administrative handover is to facilitate the seamless uploading of essential property data onto the government’s UMEED portal. This digital transition is viewed as a crucial step in maintaining transparency and security for endowment assets.
According to correspondence from the Hyderabad Collector, the CEO had highlighted that numerous closed files and older records belonging to the AP State Waqf Board remained in the possession of the TS Waqf Board. Despite repeated formal requests from the Government of India, the Central Waqf Council, and the Government of Andhra Pradesh, these vital records—including district-wise gazettes, survey forms, and various board resolutions—had not been effectively transferred. By granting the Waqf Board back its Waqf Record Room, authorities expect to streamline the organization of these materials.
The facility serves as a vital repository for a massive collection of historical, administrative, and legal documentation. These papers are essential for verifying, tracking, and protecting thousands of Islamic endowment properties, including graveyards, mosques, and dargahs throughout the state. The documents housed within the Waqf Record Room originate from various historical eras, including the Nizam period, and are composed in multiple languages such as Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and English. The restoration of this space is expected to bolster the long-term preservation of these irreplaceable community archives.
