Survey of 20K Wakf properties completed in State: Minister

The government has completed the survey of over 50 per cent of Wakf properties and Karnataka has become the first state to do so, Minister for Municipal Administration, Wakf and Minorities Qamarul Islam said on Monday.

Addressing the media after presiding over the progress review meeting of eight districts coming under Mysore division, Islam said that out of the total 33,000 Wakf properties in the State, the survey and validation of 20,000 properties in the districts like Gulbarga, Yadgir, Bidar, Raichur, Koppal and Kodagu had been completed.

Denying that it would be improper to classify the properties belonging to the Karnataka State Wakf Board as “encroached” without surveying them, Islam said that once the survey was complete, the department would issue a notification, facilitating the khata of such assets.

He also stressed taking action against the encroachers. The minister further said that he took up the task (of surveying the properties) as a challenge following a ruling (on amended rules) in Parliament in 2013 that made it mandatory for all states to survey the Wakf properties under their purview within a year.

The minister admitted that there was considerable delay, but attributed it to the elections. The survey will be completed by the end of October, he said.

Info centre
On setting up of information centres in every district to provide information about the welfare programmes taken up by the Directorate of Minorities as announced in the budget, Islam said Rs 12 crore had been earmarked for the purpose.

“Deputy commissioners have been asked to provide land for the hostels. The district officers of the directorate have been instructed to reside close to the office in district headquarters,” he said.