Hyderabad: Imams and Muezzins in Telangana have been deprived of their honorarium for the past four months, with Waqf Board officials citing the government’s failure to release budgetary allocations as the reason.
The previous BRS government had introduced a monthly honorarium of Rs.5,000 for Imams and Muezzins, while the Congress, after coming to power, announced that the amount would be increased to Rs.10,000. However, even after 20 months in office, the promise of enhancement has not been fulfilled.
The government had also pledged to transfer the honorarium through a “green channel,” ensuring that payments reach accounts on the first of every month, similar to government employees. In practice, however, Imams and Muezzins are forced to wait three to four months for the payments. The last time, the honorarium for three months was released in a single installment.
More than 14,000 Imams and Muezzins are currently awaiting payments. Ironically, Rs.30 crore was sanctioned in the Minority Welfare budget for this purpose, and a government order (GO) was issued. Yet, the Finance Department has reportedly not transferred the funds into the Waqf Board’s account.
Most of the Imams and Muezzins serve in mosques where the meager income is insufficient to sustain their families. Instead of increasing the amount to Rs.10,000 as promised, the old rate itself has not been released for four months, forcing them to make repeated visits to the Waqf Board.
Meanwhile, the Waqf Board has instructed Imams and Muezzins to submit various documents including Income and other certificates by September 30. Many believe that the demand for more documents is an attempt to reduce the number of beneficiaries by imposing stringent conditions.
The situation is no better with other welfare schemes. The Waqf Board’s financial assistance of Rs.5,000 for burials of poor families has been halted for several months due to budget shortfalls. Likewise, court-directed compensation payments to divorced women through the Waqf Board have also been suspended for months.
Community members are now questioning where the Waqf Board’s income is actually being spent. They demand that the pending honorarium of Imams and Muezzins be released immediately.
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