Pay new rental by December 20 or face eviction: Amanatullah Khan

Delhi Waqf Board chairman Amanatullah Khan said around 120 shops were paying meagre rents for years.

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Waqf Board has warned the shopkeepers in the Fatehpuri mosque complex, in Old Delhi area, of eviction if they do not accept new rentals by December 20.   Delhi Waqf Board chairman Amanatullah Khan said around 120 shops were paying meagre rents for years. 
These shopkeepers are required to pay revised rents according to the new lease rules, but they have failed to do so, he said. 

“I met the shopkeepers on Friday and tried to convince them. If they do not agree to the new rent agreement, they will be evicted after December 20,” said Amanatullah Khan, who is the Aam Aadmi Party MLA. A Waqf Board official said according to Section 54 of the Waqf Act, the chief executive officer of the panel can direct area SDM to evict occupants of its property.

Shops in Chandni Chowk are currently paying rents as low as Rs 200-Rs 600 per month, whereas the existing rate in the area is around Rs 2 lakh-Rs 3 lakh, the official claimed. If the new lease rules are implemented, the shopkeepers will have to pay revised rents — around Rs 12,000 to Rs 25,000 per month, he said. The Waqf Board plans to renovate the shops and auction them through open bidding, said the official. 

What’s the issue 

• The Wakf Amendment Act, 2013, a law passed by the Parliament, seeks to prevent the misuse of Wakf properties and make them commercially viable by leasing them
• The law allows the Delhi Wakf Board, which has rights over all Wakf properties here, to reclaim their possession once the lease of the shop expires
• The Wakf law states that once the lease of its commercial property expires, the tenants cease to hold the right to occupy the premises. The new owner of the property will be decided through a bidding process that will be advertised.
• Shops in Chandni Chowk are currently paying rents as low as `200-`600 per month, whereas the existing rate in the area is around `2-3 lakh, said an official