Chief Ministers, Waqf Ministers to hold meeting on Waqf properties

New Delhi, Oct 22 (UNI) The Central Waqf Council today decided to convene a conference of Chief Ministers and Wakf Ministers of various states to deliberate on measures for survey, protection and proper development and management of waqf properties and initiate measures for setting up of a National Waqf Development Corporation (NWDC).

It was also decided that Central Waqf Council would keep an eye on illegal transfers of waqf properties in any part of the country and would bring these to the notice of authorities concerned.

These were among the slew of decisions taken at the 52nd meeting of the Central Waqf Council here, which was presided over by Union Minority Affairs Minister A R Antulay, who is also Chairman of the Council.

Mr Antulay also informed that the Council would send its views on the proposed amendments in the Waqf Act, 1995 for which a JPC had already been constituted. For this purpose, a special Committee has been set up to formulate such views.

The members of the Council stressed the need for an early setting up of the NWDC and also for taking appropriate steps for exemption of waqf properties from the purview of the various laws as recommended by the Rajendra Sachar Committee.

Mr Antulay informed the members that necessary steps had been initiated to set up the NWDC and assured that it would become a reality in the near future.

As far as the exemption of waqf properties from the purview of certain acts was concerned, he said the Council had already initiated measures in this regard and was collecting various details of the laws as applicable in those areas.

In addition, Mr Antulay said, the Council was also examining how waqf properties were to be exempted from the purview of these laws with a view to making better management of such properties.

''Some of the states have responded in this regard. We are awaiting response from other states,'' he said, adding that the matter would be expedited.

The minister also discussed various items on the agenda and expressed the hope that the deliberations of the meeting would be useful in improving the management and administration of the wakf properties throughout the country.

He said that the Central Waqf Council must act as a guiding force to various State Waqf Boards to improve the management of waqf properties and also to get rid of unauthorised occupation of the properties in various parts of the country.

The meeting was attended by Syed Shahabuddin, former MP, Mr Salman Khurshid, former Union Minister, Maulana Mohd Fazlur Rahim Mujadadi, Justice (Retd.) Naseemuddin and other members of the Council.

UNI