Wakf Board to get 123 properties in Delhi`s prime locations

New Delhi: Hours before the announcement of the Lok Sabha poll schedule, the government on Wednesday facilitated handing over of 123 properties in Delhi, many of them in prime locations, to Delhi Wakf Board by withdrawing of acquisition by Land and Development Office and DDA.

The central government has withdrawn from the acquisition of the Wakf properties under the control of Land and Development Office (L&DO) and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) subject to two conditions, a Home Ministry statement said. As per the conditions, no compensation will be paid by the government or DDA or other government entities in respect of such properties. Besides, cases pertaining to the said properties filed by the Delhi Wakf Board against the government or DDA pending in any court of law shall be withdrawn first. The withdrawal of acquisition follows a decision of the Union Cabinet on March 2. The decision will enable the Wakf Board to take a call on the properties including selling them. Many of these properties are spread over prime locations in the capital. At present, 61 of these 123 properties are owned by L&DO under the Urban Development Ministry while the rest of 62 are with DDA. The Minority Affairs Ministry had set up a committee of experts under the Central Wakf Council to evaluate the proposal. The expert committee backed the proposal. Most properties are in and around Connaught Place, Mathura Road, Lodhi Road, Man Singh Road, Pandara Road, Ashoka Road, Janpath, Parliament House, Karol Bagh, Sadar Bazaar, Darya Ganj and Jangpura in the national capital.