Waqf land to be resurveyed, official appointed

The state government on Friday issued a notification asking for the resurvey of the 92,000-acre land, which is with the Waqf Board.

The state government on Friday issued a notification asking for the resurvey of the 92,000-acre land, which is with the Waqf Board.

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According to State Minorities Minister Naseem Khan, about 60% of the area is encroached.

Waqf is a permanent dedication made by a person professing Islam, of any movable or immovable property as a religious act. Such properties given up are normally used to build schools, madrassas, masjids and even housing for poor Muslims.

“In the past one year, we have been able to free up about 450 acre only. We have now appointed the revenue secretary as the waqf survey officer in-charge of the survey,” Khan said. He added that there have been allegations by the Joint Parliamentary Committee set up to look at Waqf issues that the survey done in 1957, before the Central Waqf Act was in place, was done in a haphazard manner.

“It is seen that some properties are illegally given to someone. In Marathwada, we see that a majority of properties are occupied by government and semi-government offices. All this needs to be sorted out,” he said.