Lieutenant Governor’s brother and Waqf Board’s ex Secretary writes to Waqf Board. Waqf Board denies illegal construction
By Saleem Siddiqui
New Delhi: It has not been very long since the scam of sale of a graveyard land in Nizamuddin’s Tikona Park was exposed. Now, due to Waqf Board’s negligence and carelessness, [yet another] attempt to sell Waqf land, near Dargah Bibi Fatima Sam in Kakanagar, and illegal construction on it, has come to light.
In this regard Lieutenant Governor’s brother and Waqf Board’s former Secretary Zafar Jung has also sent a written complaint to Delhi Waqf Board.
According to [our] information there is a Waqf land near Bibi Fatima Sam dargah situated in Kaka Nagar that is in occupation by a non-Muslim named Hari. Reliable sources say that Hari has sold the land to another person and illegal construction has now been started there. Waqf Board former Secretary Zafar Jung has only yesterday informed the Waqf Board that attempts are being made to sell waqf land and that illegal construction has been started there. The Waqf Board should therefore take immediate steps in this regard and save this place from being embezzled.
When Waqf Board’s Section Officer Khurshid Faruqui was contacted today he confirmed the receipt of Zafar Jung’s letter [in which] he has talked about selling and buying [of waqf land] and illegal construction [going on there]. He said that on the basis of this complaint Waqf Board’s engineer was sent to inspect the place the previous day and after his return in his report he has confirmed that no illegal construction is being done there whereas the [newly] erected walls are clearly visible there though. Waqf Board failed to give any further information in this regard.
When Roznama Rashtriya Sahara spoke to Zafar Jung he confirmed that he had written to the Waqf Board informing them of the illegal construction and had asked them to get it stopped. He said, ‘If the Waqf Board claims that no illegal construction is going on, then they should confirm it in writing.’
He also said that the Imam of Kaka Nagar, Mohammad Zahid, too has a role in this sale. Zafar Jung said that he held Khurshid Faruqi responsible for the scam. Zafar Jung said that he had sent a man to Waqf Board three times and each time he was told that Khurshid Faruqi was out and had gone to attend a meeting. ‘Then I myself phoned only to be told that he had gone to attend a meeting. [I told them] He is [only] a Section Officer, what type of meetings he has to attend and who deputes him to do so? [You will have to] Tell me (what is the truth?) otherwise all the information will be extracted through RTI’.
Zafar Jung wonders, ‘What the hell is going on in Waqf Board? Chairman is missing, the CEO is absent and officers are away. To evade responsibility the CE Ali Ashraf has gone on holiday.’
He stressed that there is an urgent need to reform the management of Waqf Board. ‘The extreme of it is that I had the last audit done in 1990 after which no audit has been done here.’
Reliable sources say that one more non-Muslim has occupied another Waqf land in Kaka Nagar. [Official] proceedings against him have been going on under Section 54 since the times of Faizi Hashmi but with the changes of Waqf Board’s Cos file of this case got disappeared from the office and it has happened at least three times. After investigations last CO Ahsan Abid had suspended an employee [for his involvement in this affair]. But soon after Ahsan Abdi’s departure the employee was reinstated. Sources say that Waqf Board is full of black sheep who conspire, abet and help in the embezzlement of Waqf properties. (Courtesy: urdumediamonitor.com)
(Translated from Roznama Rashtriya Sahara, 26 December 2013)
