By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: The matter related to 123 Waqf properties in Delhi will be sorted out and soon the Delhi Waqf Board will have their possession. Salman Khursheed , Minister of Minority Affairs said this while addressing the media after chairing the 57th meeting of the Central Wakf Council (CWC) on Thursday.
The issue of Waqf properties spread across the country and their proper management dominated the meeting of the CWC. Khursheed said that soon these 123 properties will be denotified and their titles will be transferred to the concerned Waqf Board and in order to facilitate this smoothly he was in touch with Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath and the Chief Minister Delhi Shiela Dixit.
It’s important to mention here that there are around 123 Waqf properties in Delhi as identified by the Burney Committee which are under the “illegal” possession of the central government. In January this year the High Court had directed the central government to hand over these properties within six months and also formulate policies regarding this issue.
“Once we are able to get these 123 Waqf properties in Delhi from the custody of other government agencies, an example will be set for other states on how to deal with the issue,” added Khursheed.
When asked what was decided in the CWC meeting to prevent corruption by the Wakf Board employees, the Minister indirectly accepted that that CWC is largely a toothless body devoid of supervisory powers. He said that the CWS is an advisory body which deals with the policy framework of Wakf in India; when it comes to the implementation of policy, it is dependent on the concerned Wakf boards.
But Khursheed also added that the Wakf Amendment Bill 2010 provides larger supervisory powers to the CWC, which will help the council in imparting its responsibilities in a much more effective way.
These supervisory powers will help out the CWC in dealing with illegal encroachments by the government agencies like ASI and others. For instance after the Bill gets passed the CWC can give directives to the state Wakf Boards and other government agencies like ASI and in case of any clash between the orders of CWC and these agencies, the matter will go to a judicial tribunal headed by an SC judge.
On the issue of Wakf Amendment Bill 2010, Khursheed said that the Bill is open for changes as the select committee of Rajya Sabha is going through the bill clause by clause.
It was also decided in the meeting that all the issues related to funding, the technical issues and reconstitution of the Punjab Waqf Board, will be completed in the next two months.
The Central Wakf Council is a Statutory Body, established in December, 1964 by the Government of India for the purpose of advising it on matters pertaining to working of the State Wakf Boards and proper administration of the Wakfs in the country.