[Reader-list] Amaranth Land Issue

[Tapas Ray]

J&K should probably follow West Bengal's example, where a minister is 
the chairman of the board. Anybody remember the wakf scam? The more 
things change, the more they remain the same ... from 2002 to 2006 ... 
see the two clippings below.

Tapas

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http://health.rediff.com/news/2002/jul/05wakf.htm

July 05, 2002

Wakf Board property scam has Left Front squirming

Amin Babu Ahmed in Kolkata

The G R Bhattacharya Commission report, which unveiled a scam in Wakf 
property, has caught the ruling Left Front government in West Bengal off 
guard.

After five years of thorough research and examination of witnesses, the 
commission concluded that there were major irregularities in the Wakf 
Board during the regime of the Left Front.

The report says that Wakf properties in the state, worth millions of 
rupees, were given out on lease or rent to businessmen at meagre rates.

....

The report, made public this week six months after it was placed in the 
assembly, has specifically named former chairman of the Wakf Board 
Hamimul Huda as an accused.

Another former chairman of the board is also named, but no other person 
has been specifically accused of wrongdoing.

Incidentally, a few days before the report was tabled in the assembly, 
Huda was arrested on charges of questionable deals pertaining to Wakf 
property and this has found mention in Minorities Development Minister 
Mohammad Salim's Action Taken Report (in response to the findings of the 
G R Bhattacharya Commission's findings).

Since there are no proper records of the board's properties, it is 
difficult to gauge the extent of the scam, Salim said.

The opposition alleges that the scam involves approximately Rs 10 
billion (Rs 1000 crore).

"How can they be so specific when the survey is still incomplete," asks 
Salim ...
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http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=207459

October 30, 2006

Kolkata, October 30: The Waqf Board today appointed Abdus Sattar, state 
minister for minority development and madrasa education, as its new 
chairman. Sattar will be replacing Hannan Mollah, CPI-M MP, who remained 
in the post for two consecutive terms since 2000.

According to sources in the department, Mollah was removed following 
allegations of corruption against him.

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Sattar, however, refuted such allegations and said ...
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> It is to be noted that the Governor heads the Hindu shrine boards
> and the chief minister heads the Muslim Wakfs. The government must get out
> of this kind of control and must restrict itself to provide the needed
> support to public who visit shrines, temples, mosques and other kinds of
> religious places and festivals/fairs. There must be a rethinking on the tax
> benefits extended to the religious bodies earning crores and crores of
> rupees. Such changes in policies should be applied to all over the country,
> not only in the J & K.

> Regards,
> 
> Prakash