Around 135 Waqf properties along the Dar-ul-Shifa and Chandrayangutta stretch are set to be acquired for the construction of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project in the Old City. Of these, about 45 properties are located on the left side of the alignment and 90 on the right, all of which are currently under the land acquisition process.

In total, nearly 7,400 square yards of land belonging to the Telangana Waqf Board is being acquired for the project. Officials said several compensation awards have already been passed in favour of the board in cases where land titles are clear.

Syed Azmatullah Husseini, Chairman of the Telangana Waqf Board, said compensation cheques would be issued after possession of the properties is formally handed over. He added that while most private properties are being compensated at Rs 85,000 per square yard, Waqf properties are being awarded Rs 65,000 per square yard under the general acquisition category. In cases involving title disputes, the compensation amounts have been referred to the Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Authority court.

Husseini said a claim of interest filed by the Waqf Board in respect of the acquired properties is currently under scrutiny by Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited. He added that all documentation related to the acquisition has been completed and demolition work is being carried out under the supervision of Waqf Board officials, without affecting religious structures.

Officials said tenants occupying shops and houses on the acquired land have already received rehabilitation compensation, while payments for land and structures will be made to the Waqf Board. Waqf Board member Abdul Fateh Syed Bandagi Badesha said the compensation amount can only be used for institutional development or for purchasing alternative land. He suggested that land-for-land compensation would better serve the long-term interests of Waqf properties.

The Telangana government is developing a 7.5-kilometre Hyderabad Metro Rail corridor from MGBS to Chandrayangutta via Dar-ul-Shifa and the Shalibanda junction. Officials said more than 100 religious, heritage and sensitive structures along the route have been preserved during the planning and execution of the project.