Hyderabad, Sept. 22 -- 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...