Muhammad Mukaram
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Mar 3: In a significant development, the State waqf board has finally woken up to ensure vacation of its property illegally held by some occupations for years together in the Kashmir's commercial hub, Lal Chowk. The buildings, especially hotels, located in the heart of Lal Chowk have been under illegal occupation of some influential people and the wakf board has taken serious note of issue asking the occupants to vacate the hotel.
The document available with Early Times reveals that, "Taj hotel located at the City Centre Lal Chowk is being illegally occupied by the Ghulam Mohammad Dug and others, despite the wakf board has issued notice on 03-01-2015 wide notice No MVB/R&E/836-86 but till now he has not vacated the hotel."
The notice in possession with Early Times reads that, "The agreement of lease is not registered and no period of lease or the term of the lease has been described with the owner, which shows the brazen violation of J&K Muslim Specified Wakf properties and regulation act 2004-2005."
"You are also in arrears of using the aforesaid specified wakf properties and fall in the category of defaulters," The notice reads.
However the J&K Muslim Wakf Board has failed to scrutinise several property users, who continue to occupy the Wakf property illegally without registration across Srinagar, especially in the city centers.
The Wakf Board, which has commercial assets across the valley, is faced with multi-crore liability owing to low income generated from its commercial assets. "These users have been currently paying peanuts as compared to the market value of our assets especially at the city centers," official of the Wakf Board told Early Times.
"The wafk authority has failed to tighten the nose of defaulters who have occupied the commercial wakf properties illegally. I fail to understand to whom blame for the illegal occupation of wakf property, authority or defaulter," well wisher of the Borad told Early Times.
Despite least rents as compared to present market rate, many users have not paid their rents for years and successive management has not been able to check the unauthorised use of Wakf properties.
According to a senior Wakf member, the centrally located Taj Hotel at the city centre Lal Chowk, is one of the many unauthorised users of the Wakf property. "The current user of Taj Hotel, which has as many as 50 rooms, pays a rent of Rs 25,000 per month. This is marginal and he is yet to clear his dues," the official said.
Taj Hotel pays a yearly rent of Rs 3 lakh towards Wakf as compared to reasonable Rs 1. 3 Crore. The property was leased to the current user by the board in September 2001.
It may be noted that the Wakf property can be used under a license valid for a period of 11 months following which the license has to be renewed failing which the registration stands cancelled. The management, however, has served a noyice of one month. |
