Recent Religious Sites Lead Telangana Waqf Registrations
Officials from the Telangana Waqf Board reveal a surprising trend. A significant number of waqf properties registered on the Union government's Umeed portal are not old legacy assets. Instead, they are relatively new religious establishments.
Waqf-by-User Properties Form Major Chunk
Nearly one-fourth of the uploaded properties fall under the waqf-by-user category. This category largely includes mosques and dargahs built on private or donated land over the past two to three decades. These properties were not previously listed as official waqf assets.
Data from the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development portal shows interesting figures. As of January 13, Mutawallis initiated registration for 50,900 properties. However, detailed document uploads began for only 28,741 cases. Among these, approximately 12,500 properties received the waqf-by-user classification.
Telangana Among Top States in Upload Activity
Telangana ranks among the top five states in the country for upload activity on the Umeed portal. Uttar Pradesh leads the national list, followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka. Telangana currently holds the fourth position.
Officials provided a timeline of the registration process. By December 6, 2025, which was the original deadline, Mutawallis had started uploading details for about 46,000 properties. The court later extended the deadline by three months. Following this extension, the pace of uploads slowed dramatically. Only around 4,000 additional property details were uploaded in the subsequent month.
Verification Process Faces Significant Delays
The verification process has also moved at a sluggish pace. After documents are uploaded, waqf inspectors acting as checkers must verify them. These verified files then move to the approver, usually the waqf board CEO or a delegated officer.
Current verification statistics highlight the delays. Of the nearly 28,000 properties uploaded so far, only about 8,900 have been verified by checkers. A mere 4,900 properties have received final approval.
A senior waqf board official explained some rejection reasons. Many mutawallis, acting as makers, are not providing all necessary supporting documents. About 3,100 properties faced rejection for this reason. Officials asked these applicants to submit more or relevant documents.
Document Tracing Poses Major Challenges
Mutawallis encounter considerable difficulties in tracing documents. Many properties date back several decades, and records have been poorly maintained over the years. Some mutawallis have urged the waqf board to assist them in procuring the necessary records.
Overview of Telangana's Waqf Properties
According to the waqf board, Telangana has about 51,000 waqf properties in total. This number includes several categories:
- 33,929 properties identified during the first waqf survey in 1955
- Around 13,400 properties identified in the second survey after 2001
- Approximately 3,600 properties that existed even before 1955
In addition to these, several thousand waqf-by-user properties now form a growing part of the state's waqf landscape. These include mosques that emerged over the past 20 to 25 years.
