The central Modi government plans to amend the 1995 Waqf board law. In this regard, the government intends to present a bill to the Assembly. The Central Government is bringing this amendment to ensure more transparency and accountability in the Waqf Board’s functioning so that citizens can avoid illegal encroachment. We will also ensure that women are represented on the board. Meanwhile, the state government has also chalked out a plan to convert the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar ground in Mumbai, owned by the Waqf Board, into an international-level football stadium.
However, opposition members began raising slogans against the bill even before its passage in the Lok Sabha. In the past, several senior opposition leaders have defended the law, alleging that the BJP-led central government is now bringing a bill to amend the Waqf Act to create divisions in society. The BJP government claims that they prepared a report after consulting with many Muslim intellectuals before introducing these amendments.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Stadium will host international football matches
Media reports indicate that the Maharashtra government has devised a plan to transform the Waqf Board-owned ground in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar into an international football stadium. An official of the Sports Department told the media that in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Guardian Minister Abdul Sattar and in the presence of Sports Minister Sanjay Bansode, it was decided that this Aamkhas ground in Sambhajinagar will now be made an international football stadium. In this regard, Guardian Minister Sattar has directed the District Collector to immediately submit a proposal to the Sports Department to convert this ground into a football stadium. The Waqf Board currently owns the grounds.
8 lakh acres of land across the country
The Waqf Act was introduced by the Congress in 1954, with the first amendment enacted in 1995 and the second in 2013. If the Waqf board claims someone’s property as its own, then the owner of that property cannot go to court to appeal. This accuses the Waqf Board of illegally occupying thousands of acres of private and government property. At present, the Waqf Board has around 8 lakh acres of land and more than 8,72,292 properties.
