Acting upon the complaint of State Waqf Board, GHMC demolished 30 small shops aligned with the boundary wall of Top Khana graveyard, Gosha Mahal. Waqf Board sources and local people informed that the Mutawalli of the graveyard himself set up the shops illegally and leased them to various tenants at the rent of Rs. 3000 per month. He was collecting monthly income of Rs. 90000 through the shops.
On the direction of Special Officer Waqf Board Mr. Shaikh Mohammed Iqbal IPS, GHMC squad under the monitoring of police picket removed the shops within few hours. Officials of Graveyard Protection Committee told that they approached High Court to stop desecration of graveyard while they also took the help of State Waqf board, Municipal Corporation and police.
It must be noted that there are several graveyards and waqf properties at Gosha Mahal, Feel Khana, Begum Bazar and Choodi Bazar where land grabbers with the connivance of local influential elements are trying to exterminate them.
The graveyard in question is spread over 8 thousand sqyd land. When asked about illegal installation of small shops, the mutawalli Mr. Hameed Khursheed clarified that he is in no way related to the shops. It must be recalled that Jamia Nizamia in August 2011 had issued fatwa that use of Waqf land endowed for graveyard other than for burial is against shariah and tantamount to desecration of graveyard.
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