By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Nagpur: As the assembly winter session is in progress here the Muslim MLAs are not losing any opportunity in raising community issues and therefore on Thursday raised the contentious issue of Waqf Board-owned lands being misused.
Abu Azmi (SP), Asif Sheikh(INC), Imtiyaz Jalil (MIM) and Adv. Waris Pathan (MIM) spoke in the assembly on matters related to the Waqf and posed many questions before the government including whether the government will increase the strength of the Board.
Maharashtra assembly
Replying to the question, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the issue of Waqf Board lands scam had figured during Congress-NCP Government’s tenure. The then Government had formed a committee headed by former High court justice A T J SHaikh. The report of the committee was neither tabled in the House nor its recommendations implemented.
“Now the report will be tabled soon and its recommendations will be implemented. The illegally acquired lands will be returned back to Waqf Board”, Fadnavis added.
He also declared that Maharashtra government will soon establish a State Wakf Board tribunal here in Nagpur to “streamline” the working of the body and expedite removing of encroachments on the Waqf land.
“The State Wakf Board which has its headquarters in Aurangabad is flooded with work and there is a need for streamlining its working, therefore the government will set up a tribunal in the second capital here (Nagpur),” Fadnavis said in Legislative Assembly.
Asif Shaikh (INC) said in the assembly, “There are numerous instances where Waqf land is being grabbed by private institutions or the companies are paying very less amount of rent to Waqf. The matter should be looked into seriously”.
Ajit Pawar (NCP), the former Deputy Chief Minister defending his government’s obscurities said that even if the report is not tabled in the House it will not matter however at least its recommendations could be implemented immediately.
Minority development and Revenue Minister Eknathrao Khadse explained in the assembly on the issue that even though the Waqf Board lands are being demanded according to rules but the same are being misused.
“Commercial activities are going on in the name of educational institutions. The irregularities will be probed and the lands will be seized. Over one lakh acres of Waqf Board’s lands are situated in cities of the State and around 70,000 acres of lands are encroached upon. A special drive will be undertaken to get rid of the encroachments”, he clarified in the assembly.
Assuring that Waqf land is Muslims property he said, “All the lands belong to Muslim community and if used properly, the backlog of the community could be removed.”
“The matter of Ambani grabbing Waqf land will be probed and action taken. The land will be taken back if found to be of Waqf property”, he told the assembly.
MIM MLAs Imtiaz Jaleel and Waris Pathan, addressing the media in the frontcourt of Vidhan Bhavan, said the Wakf Board has property worth Rs 1000 crore and the lands of the Board are being misused at many places.
Jalil claimed that over 70,000 acres of Board lands have allegedly been grabbed by many ministers, MLAs, businessmen and others.
“In fact Ambani’s house is built on a Dargah land,” he alleged.
He called the Wakf Board lands as that of orphan’s lands and said, “People have built buildings and business establishments (on Waqf lands) and a thorough investigation into the land grabbing must be conducted”
He further informed reports that the Chief Minister Fadnavis has assured a probe and return of the lands to the Wakf Board.