‘No land provided by Government of India to Waqf Board since 2019’
New Delhi: The government of India informed Parliament on Monday that 994 Waqf properties across India have been illegally encroached upon, with Tamil Nadu accounting for the highest number at 734.
In a written response to questions from CPI(M) lawmaker John Brittas, the Ministry of Minority Affairs revealed that India has 872,352 immovable and 16,713 movable Waqf properties registered under the Waqf Act, based on the Waqf Assets Management System of India (WAMSI) portal.
“As per the WAMSI portal, 994 Waqf properties are recorded as alienated,” stated Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.
Alienation refers to unlawful transfer or encroachment of Waqf properties. Tamil Nadu leads with 734 alienated properties, followed by Andhra Pradesh (152), Punjab (63), Uttarakhand (11), and Jammu & Kashmir (10).
The Waqf Act declares any unauthorised sale, transfer, or mortgage of Waqf property as void. It allows the Waqf Board to reclaim alienated properties through a requisition to the respective district collector.
Separately, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs informed the Rajya Sabha that no land has been provided by the GoI to the Waqf Board since 2019, while land allocation by state governments remains undocumented.
The government also highlighted the ongoing review of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, introduced in August and currently under deliberation by a joint parliamentary committee.
