As soon as the Waqf Amendment Bill is passed, the Yogi government has started taking a tough stand against the illegally declared properties by the Waqf Board. The government has instructed all the District Magistrates to identify such Waqf properties which are not recorded in the revenue records and which have been declared Waqf against the rules. After identifying these properties, further seizure action will be taken.
According to the Revenue Department, most of the properties claimed by the Waqf Board in UP have no official record. According to the revenue records, only 2,533 properties of Sunni Waqf Board are recorded. At the same time, only 430 properties of Shia Waqf Board are authorized. While the figures declared by the Waqf Board are much more than this. Sunni Waqf Board has 1,24,355 properties and Shia Waqf Board has 7,785 properties.
Officials clarified
It is being told that on a large scale, the lands of ponds, pokhar, barn and village society have also been declared as Waqf, which the government has considered completely illegal. Officials say that government land, village society land and public properties cannot be declared Waqf under any circumstances. Only those properties will be considered a vaqf which is clearly donated by a person.
The culprits will also be taken action
According to sources, in many districts, ponds, pastures, barn and public use lands were declared as Waqf. Now after a strong investigation in such cases, the land will be declared by declaring the property of the government. The government has made it clear that every property declared illegally will be taken lawful action, and responsibility will also be fixed on the culprits.
Yogi was also thundered in Prayagraj
On Thursday, CM Yogi Adityanath made a sharp comment while speaking on the Waqf Bill and Mahakumbh at the birth anniversary celebrations of Nishad Raja Guhyas in Prayagraj. CM Yogi, while attacking the Waqf Board, accused him of encroachment and said that his “arbitrary claims” will no longer be tolerated at public and historical sites. Addressing a gathering in Prayagraj, the CM said, “The Waqf Board has been making baseless claims on the land in cities. During the preparations for the Kumbh Mela, he also announced that the land of the event is his. Then we had to ask – has the Waqf Board become a land mafia?”
He insisted that such encroachments have been removed under his government and the mafia has been excluded from Uttar Pradesh. CM Yogi said, “In the name of Waqf, encroachment was done at many places including the sacred land attached to Nishad Raj. But it will not be allowed to continue. Despite his objections, a grand and divine Kumbh Mela was organized.
The CM also appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for taking legislative action against the alleged irregularities of the Waqf Board. He said, we are grateful to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister that he rein in the arbitrariness of the Waqf Board. An important Act addressing this issue has already been passed in the Lok Sabha and now it will be approved in the Rajya Sabha. CM Yogi Adityanath insisted that the state will no longer tolerate illegal claims and should keep the national interest in the first place. He said, those who are loyal to the nation, they will always find their way.