Get full land value: Maharashtra Government to Waqf

The Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government has directed the Maharashtra Waqf board to stop leasing out its land arbitrarily and "almost" free of cost. Instead, the government wants the board to implement a "transparent" competitive bidding process with the base rent as per the ready reckoner. The board has also been asked to seek government permission in lease matters now on.
In Maharashtra, the Waqf board owns around 1 lakh acres of land spread over many locations.
Habib Fakih, one of the nine members of the Waqf board, welcomed the move. "This is one of the best decisions the BJP government has taken and the so-called secular govt couldn't do in 15 years. The Congress-NCP govt didn't even appoint a chairman for the past five years and allowed Minister Arif Naseem Khan to run the board from behind the scene," he said.

How's Waqf land leased now?
At present, Waqf plots are leased for even as low as Rs10 a month. "If the board starts an online bidding process, whoever pays the maximum would get the lease. This will make the Waqf board a cash-rich body and the same fund could be utilised for the welfare of the Muslim community," says Eknath Khadse, minister for revenue, agriculture, minority development and Waqf.

How much money is Waqf losing now?
Though the exact amount cannot be estimated, an official gave an example. He said
a 500 sq m plot holder in Aurangabad has been paying an annual lease rent of Rs 200 to the board. According to current ready reckoner rates, this property holder will have to pay Rs10 lakh per annum. In Pune, the rent for a plot the same size could fetch at least 25 lakh a year.

What's the Waqf board corpus now?
It has a capital of Rs360 crore. Khadse argues that if the board follows a bidding process for leasing land, this capital would multiply manifold. Waqf board officials, however, fear such a move could lead to a series of litigations. Khadse then suggested that Waqf rules should be modified to deal with such a situation.

What does the law say on Waqf land transactions?
As per rules, land can't be sold. But the board has leased out a big chunk of land for nominal rent to politicians and industrialists, who have set up big schools, colleges and factories there. About 70 per cent of these properties are encroached upon by the land mafia as well.

So, what's wrong with land exchange?
It's flawed, according to Nizamuddin Rayeen, chairperson of the minority cell of Mumbai Congress. "Waqf rules don't allow sale but exchange of land is permitted. This clause is being misused to benefit big people. The board transfers a plush plot worth crores to the big guns and accepts a plot of the same size but with much lesser worth in return," he says.

Any example of corruption?
Says Rayeen: "Rich Muslims had donated land to the Waqf board for the welfare of the (Muslim) community. However, corrupt board members have leased out land to many Congress leaders and their favourite industrialists. Over 2,000 acres of land were leased out to Videocon in Aurangabad, Nanded," he said. He welcomed the BJP government move but demanded that the government should first help the Waqf take over land occupied by politicians and businessmen.

What are Muslim community leaders saying?
For a long time, they have been demanding that the Waqf board must develop land on its own to make money instead of allowing others to take profits. They have also been seeking government assistance for removing encroachments.

Is anyone opposing the BJP move?
Congress leader Arif Naseem Khan, who was in charge of minority development in the previous government, slammed the BJP govt for 'imposing' rules on Waqf board. "The state government has no right to interfere in Waqf matters. There is a Central act which governs the board." He also claimed that the lease of land given to Videocon 30 years back was not renewed after its expiry under his tenure.