Assam Waqf Board runs from rented house; no Chairman for 4 years

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Believe it or not, a government board owning more than 15,000 bighas of land and other properties, is still functioning from a rented house.

Even after 67 years of establishment of the Assam Board of Waqf, the Board has been functioning from a rented house from Seuji Path near the Hatigaon area here. Nevertheless, the Board possesses more than 15,000 bighas of landed and other properties across the State.

The irony is that the Assam government is yet to appoint a Chairman to the Board even after four years since its last Chairman Nekibur Zaman left the Board way back in 2017. The Board was set up in August 1957 under the 'Waqf Act-1954'.

In 1994, the then Hiteswar Saikia government had allotted land (1 Katha and 5 Lechas) in Dakshin Gaon here. On February 8, 2011, former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi laid the foundation for the construction of the office building of the Waqf Board in this piece of land; but, nothing concrete has been done for the construction of the Board office.

Amidst the threat of encroachment, former Chairman Nekibur Zaman initiated the construction of the boundary walls of the Board office building.

Presently, the land has been abandoned. What is more, there is no sign that the office of the Waqf Board will be constructed at this site.

"It is not understood why the government can't set up the office of the Waqf Board at any property it possesses," said former Board Chairman Zaman.

"There is a big lobby working to disturb the activities of the Board. The State government can earn revenue from the Board only if there is judicious use of the land and property that the Waqf Board possesses," pointed out Zaman.

"Meanwhile, the Board properties are being encroached upon by many people. But there is no initiative to recover it," he said.

The States have been advised to set up the 'Waqf Tribunal' after the 'Waqf (Amendment) Act-2013' was passed in the Parliament. The tribunals have been entrusted to deal with the encroachers of the Waqf properties and assets.

But this act is yet to be implemented in Assam even as many other states across the country have already implemented it.

"I was asked to frame a rule when I was the Chairman of the Waqf Board in Assam. Accordingly, I did frame the rule and also submitted the details before the government. But no tribunal was set up in the State to guard the Waqf properties," added Zaman.

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