Telangana to float fresh tenders for Waqf-owned Garden View Mall in Nampally

Hyderabad: The Congress government’s revamp drive has reached the long-neglected Garden View Mall. At a high-level meeting held on Monday at the Dr B R Ambedkar Secretariat, Advisor to Government Mohammed Ali Shabbir announced that Telangana would invite fresh tenders to lease out the seven-storey Waqf-owned complex adjoining the Haj House in Nampally.

Built with a massive ₹22 crore investment during the previous Congress term, the 1.65 lakh sq. ft. structure has stood idle for years under the BRS government. Two basement levels, seven floors up, and yet no use—just slow decay.

Shabbir AIi, who originally helmed the project as minister, said the complex was supposed to be a major revenue spinner for the Waqf Board. “We even acquired two extra properties next to Haj House back then to support minority development,” he said. But with no action for nearly a decade, the entire complex turned into a ghost building—zero rentals, zero returns.

Back in 2017, global tenders were floated but hit a wall due to conditions: absolutely no alcohol, no illegal activity, and a mandate to keep two floors vacant during Haj season. Officials at Monday’s review agreed to stick with the same cultural and moral clauses this time too—no dilution.

Waqf Board CEO Md Asadullah, Government Secretary Tafseer Iqbal and senior staff joined the meeting, which also touched on Haj prep. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy will officially flag off this year’s batch of pilgrims from Haj House on May 16. Shabbir Ali asked for top-notch arrangements—housing, transport, facilities—all locked in before departure.

The team also took up an unusual but persistent concern from Muharram Juloos organisers: the missing elephant. Historically arranged by the Nizam Trust and housed in the city zoo, the elephant was central to the procession until its death. Since then, organisers have struggled. The meeting explored whether the government could intervene—maybe even purchase one. Forest officials and the Zoo Authority are now in discussions. The Waqf CEO’s been tasked with calling a dedicated meeting to push for a permanent solution.

Shabbir Ali reaffirmed the Congress government’s plan to fast-track all pending Waqf projects. “No more stalling. No more wastage. What we started, we’ll finish—with full transparency,” he said.