HYDERABAD — A centuries-old graveyard located at Aliabad in Hyderabad’s Old City is facing threat from encroachers who are constructing shops in the burial ground with the support of a few local leaders.
The Koudi Shah Graveyard located beside the ACP Chatrinaka office at Aliabad Road is spread over more than two acres of land. The land mafia constructed a malgi on the graveyard land recently and it is awaiting final work before the business starts in the shop, reports The Siasat Daily.
Inside the graveyard, wild thick vegetation has come up leading to problems for Hyderabad residents who frequent the place on Fridays and special occasions in the Islamic year.
Local people complain that anti-social elements visit the graveyard at night and indulge in unlawful activities, unmindful of the existence of a police station nearby.
A resident of Alinagar, Aliabad, Shaik Dawood, said sometimes they find empty liquor bottles on the graves and also game cards strewn around. “What does it mean?” he asked.
A year and a half ago, a boundary wall was constructed around the graveyard. However, the local public representatives in the Hyderabad locality were apathetic towards the large-scale encroachments of the Muslim graveyard.
Police quarters on graveyard land in Hyderabad
Ironically, due to neglect of the Telangana Waqf Board, the land was allegedly encroached upon by various people including the police department decades ago and police quarters were constructed.
The TS Waqf Board officials maintained that the police quarters and the new police station were constructed on Waqf Board land.
On Thursday, following the complaint Chairman of TG Waqf Board, Azmathullah Hussain, along with the board’s task force visited the graveyard and inspected the place. The local waqf police official accompanied him.
Azmathullah was surprised to find police quarters constructed in the Hyderabad graveyard. He asked the officials to verify the Waqf Board gazette to know the exact extent of the graveyard land and list out the encroachments.
