Free Wakf land from encroachment: Goriyas

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Dec 12: Assam seems to be infamous for dotions for any ‘pious purposes’ as such dotions do not serve their very purposes. Wakf property of the State is one such glaring example.

Wakf is granting or dedication of property in trust for a pious purpose, that is, to some object that tends to the good of mankind, as to support a mosque or caravansary, to provide for support of one's family, kin, or neighbours, to benefit some particular person or persons and afterward the poor, etc.; also, the trust so created, or the property in trust.

Members of the All Asom Goriya Yuva-Chatra Parisad (AAGYCP) staged a sit-in demonstration at Dighalipukhuripar here on Tuesday in support of their demand for the implementation of the Wakf Amendment Act, 2013 and making Wakf property from encroachers.

AAGYCP president Salim Ahmed said: “The Wakf Board of Assam has around 20,000 bighas of land under it in the State. The landed property is supposed to earn around Rs 10,000 a year. However, with a section of businessmen from outside the State and brokers encroaching upon such property violating the law the returns from Wakf property here is very small. Elsewhere in the State earning from Wakf property is used for educatiol development, shelter for roofless people, stipends for poor students and the like. However, the picture in Assam is just the opposite to this.  It continues to remain a mystery as to why Dispur that evicts people from various encroached lands has not been able to free Wakf lands from encroachers as yet. We demand Dispur to free Wakf board’s land from encroachers without further delay.”