Centre: Will survey Delhi Waqf properties within four months

The Congress-led UPA government in March 2014 had de-notified the 123 properties two months before the end of its tenure

The Union government on Friday told the Delhi high court it would complete the survey of 123 properties of the Delhi Waqf Board (DWB), including mosques, dargahs and graveyards in four months.

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The submission was made in a plea filed by Simran Gupta seeking compliance with the court’s order dated June 1, 1984, which explicitly said the 123 properties belonged to the government and should be retained as such. Gupta in her plea contended that the 1984 order remains in effect and has never been halted or vacated.

Land and Development Officer appearing through central government standing counsel Monika Arora submitted before the bench of acting chief justice Manmohan and justice Mini Pushkarna that the survey was ongoing, and it had completed 40% of the work.

“I (L & DO) have done 40% of the work & 60% is left. It’s a humongous task & we are on it,” Arora said.

The Congress-led UPA government in March 2014 had de-notified the 123 properties two months before the end of its tenure and handed over their ownership rights to DWB. Before their de-notification, ownership rights of 61 of the 123 properties were vested with the housing ministry while the rest were vested with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).