Telangana government is planning to challenge the Lanco Hills’ advertisement to sell the flats to public. A petition is likely to be filed in Supreme Court of India Monday stating that the attempt to sell the flats built on Wakf property is illegal. Lanco Hills project is promoted by former Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal. The Ownership dispute of the land has been in Supreme Court. Telangana Wakf Board says the property belonged to the board, while the Lanco Promoters claim they had purchased the land in open auction, conducted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Finally the case reached Supreme Court.
Supreme Court Court, while allowing the promoters to proceed on the construction, directed that they clearly mention the ownership dispute in the sale deeds of the flats. But the Lanco hills did not mention this in their advertisements. The Minority Welfare Department argues that Lanco Hills has violated the Supreme Court Order.
Lanco Hills has been developed in Manikonda Jagir belonging to Dargah hazrat Hussain Shal Wali. During both previous TDP and YSR led Congress governments, these land had been allotted to various companies. So, the land has been in eye of controversy for having been given at throw away prices. According to the Wakf Board the Manikonda Jagir comprising a total of 1,654 .32 guntas was given to the Dargah by the 7th Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, through a ‘firman’ in 1920s as service Inam. Over the years a number of judgments have been delivered confirming it as wakf land. The first Public Interest Litigation was filed by the then TRS general secretary Habeeb Abdul Rahaman in 2007 stating that the property belonged to Dargah. Later a spate of writ petitions had been filed including the one by the then chief minister Kirankumar Reddy Congress government. In April 2012, Andhra Pradesh High Court gave a verdict in favor of Wakf Board. Supreme Court , however, stayed the High Court order upon receiving a commitment from the state government that the government would adequately compensate to the Wakf Board for the land in case the ownership of Wakf Board was upheld.
Rajagopal’s Lanco Hills, a residential cum commercial venture, was built on a 108 acre land which was brought from AP Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (APIIC) in an open auction.
After the bifurcation of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, the Telangana government decided to reclaim the land stating that it was Wakf property. As part of this the Telangana government is planning to withdraw the case filed by the United Andhra Pradesh government. Now, Minorities Welfare secretary Syed Omer Jaleel has issued instructions to CEO of Wakf Board to file an appeal in Supreme Court challenging the advertisement published by Lanco Hills for the sale of flats as it violated the Supreme Court order.
Syed Omer Jaleel said the Wakf Board had clear documents to claim the ownership. “The claim of Lanco Hills that they had purchased this property from the government is baseless. Wakf Board will pursue the case in Supreme Court. If need be more senior lawyers would be engaged,” he told media.
