The Telangana government has allocated ₹86 crore for a proposed Haj House at Mamidipally near Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Minority Welfare Minister Mohd Azharuddin told the state assembly on Thursday. The announcement came during a discussion in which AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi raised concerns over Waqf property encroachments, minority welfare spending and the status of Haj-related projects.
Azharuddin said the government planned to construct the new Haj House on two acres in Mamidipally, located in Balapur mandal. He said an architect had been appointed for the project and that a team of officials had visited Bengaluru to study the Haj House there. The minister did not provide a construction start date or completion timeline in the information reported from the assembly.
The proposed facility is intended to serve Haj pilgrims travelling through Hyderabad’s airport. Owaisi also sought an update on the incomplete Haj building at Nampally and asked how the existing structure would be used. In response, the minister said the old Haj House building would be utilised for minority youth skill development, training and other welfare activities, including healthcare facilities.
During Question Hour, Owaisi alleged that Waqf Board properties were being encroached upon and said the state government was failing to protect them. He also questioned the functioning of the Telangana Waqf Board, alleging that it had not convened a meeting since the new Waqf Act came into force last year. He further raised the continuation of the existing Waqf Board chairperson.
Owaisi also cited the Minority Welfare Department’s budget allocation. According to his statement in the assembly, ₹3,000 crore had been allocated to the department, but only ₹500 crore had been spent so far. The report does not include a government breakdown explaining the expenditure figure or the reasons for the difference between the allocation and spending cited by the MLA.
Another issue raised was a promise concerning Haj pilgrims. Owaisi sought an update on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s reported assurance that the government would provide ₹10,000 to each returning pilgrim towards differential airfare. The assembly report does not specify whether the assistance has been approved, disbursed or incorporated into an operational scheme.
Owaisi also urged the government to convene a meeting with minority MLAs to discuss the issues. Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka accepted the suggestion, according to the report. The next steps for that meeting, including its date and agenda, were not specified.
