HYDERABAD: The Telangana Waqf Board wrote to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) requesting it to not demolish the Masjid-e-Noori mosque for a road widening project NHAI is taking up in Shamshabad.
The Board said the mosque cannot be demolished, as the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government had given instructions to District Collectors to avoid acquisition of Waqf lands and acquire lands other than those relating to Waqf or endowment.
The letter sent by the Waqf Board states, “This office has communicated the minutes of the meeting convened by chairperson of TSWB...and it has already been discussed in the said meeting that the mosque cannot be demolished in any circumstances.”
Another portion of the letter emphasised the religious importance and sentimental value the mosque holds for Muslims, and stated that the mosque can not be relocated either.
It stated, “It is most relevant to mention here that the mosque is a very sacred religious place of worship of the Muslim community and very strong religious sentiment and attachment of Muslims is involved. As such it cannot be removed, demolished, or relocated.”