RAIPUR: A few of the properties leased out by the Chhattisgarh Waqf Board on rent decades ago are yielding an absurdly low monthly rent of just 80 paise.
Many continue to happily cough up a meagre amount of Rs 25, 50 to Rs 100 as rent for outlets, shops or complexes in Raipur and other districts of the State.
There are over 480 tenants and shop owners who were served with notices by the Board in recent months, but instead of complying with the directive to either pay the revised rents or vacate, several of them approached the Chhattisgarh High Court against the new rent agreement.
To address one of the most obtrusive issues confronting the Waqf Board -- the persisting outdated rental structure for Waqf-owned properties, with many leased out as far back as the 1950s -- the Board has conveyed that there will be a fresh agreement with the tenants and shop owners regarding rent in accordance with approved norms of the Board and the guidelines as stipulated by district collectors.
“Chhattisgarh State Waqf Board, while rationalising the prices under property lease rules, considering market values for securing better, reasonable returns, has revised the rent rates for its properties. We are attending to the crucial issue of revenue generation too. The misuse and encroachment of Waqf properties will not be allowed”, Salim Raj, Chairman of the Chhattisgarh state Waqf Board said.
The revised rents in accordance with the new rules are different for commercial and residential areas.
Chhattisgarh has Waqf properties worth over Rs 7000 crore. “The Waqf Board has already responded to the HC, and the hearing on the issue is listed for October 13. Around 200 people, who were served with repeated notices instead of complying with the directive on the revised rent, went to the High Court against the decision of the Board. After the court’s decision, we will initiate stern actions. Transparency and accountability are a must in the management of Waqf properties, which remain one of the enduring issues”, Raj asserted.
The officials in the Board said that the issues of Waqf properties on various occasions get aggravated by allegations of illegal sales and misuse of Waqf assets, which have substantially crumbled the potential revenue that could have been used for community welfare.
