Concerns raised over delayed elections to Waqf Board
The Hindu
‘Special officers do not augur well for its autonomus character’
The term of Telangana State Waqf Board, which comprises nominated and elected members, is scheduled to come to an end in February. With no official notification issued announcing elections this far, some board members and those in the know, have raised concerns over this, pointing out that in order to maintain the board’s autonomy, the State government should set wheels in motion for elections.
The Wakf Act of 1995 states that up to two members should be elected from the electoral colleges comprising mutawallis (managers) of waqf institutions which have an annual income of at least ₹1 lakh, Muslim members of the State Bar Council, Muslim members of State Legislature and Muslim members of Parliament.
Sources opined that the election process was time-consuming, and likely to take a minimum of two months to complete. Successive governments, they alleged, had dragged their feet in connection with calling for elections.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.