Hyderabad: The Telangana government has made an urgent appeal to the central government, requesting a significant extension of the deadline for uploading details of the state's waqf properties onto the national Umeed portal. Government adviser Mohammed Ali Shabbir, on Wednesday, formally urged the Centre to push back the December 5 deadline by six months to a full year, highlighting widespread logistical hurdles and confusion on the ground.
Ground-Level Challenges Cause Delays
Shabbir Ali pointed to a cascade of practical problems that have stalled the massive digitization effort. He explained that many mosque and madrasa committees, which act as custodians of these properties, received the official guidelines and instructions for the Umeed portal very late. This was compounded by poor communication channels at the village level, leaving many institutions unaware of the critical deadline or the process.
Frequent technical issues, including server outages on the portal itself, have further disrupted progress. On top of this, numerous institutions are still in the laborious process of gathering old, often century-old, physical documents. These include title deeds, survey records, and revenue documents, many of which are scattered and require authentication.
Digital Divide and Rushed Submissions
A significant barrier identified is the lack of digital literacy and resources among many managing committees. The complex process of digitizing old records and uploading them to a central portal requires skills and infrastructure that are not universally available, especially in remote areas.
With the December 5 cutoff looming, Shabbir Ali noted a concerning trend. Fearing that their properties will be left off the official record without an extension, many institutions are now rushing to upload only basic, incomplete entries. This defeats the purpose of creating a comprehensive and accurate digital inventory of waqf assets, which are charitable endowments under Islamic law.
Chief Minister's Support and Central Request
The state government's request carries weight, as it is backed by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. The CM has already written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, formally flagging the issues and requesting more time for the monumental task. The appeal underscores the unique challenges Telangana faces in collating and verifying historical waqf records, some of which date back over a hundred years.
The central government's Umeed portal initiative aims to bring transparency and streamline the management of waqf properties across India. However, the Telangana government's plea highlights the need for flexibility and support to ensure the data uploaded is thorough and correct, rather than just meeting a rigid deadline with incomplete information.
