Centre issues notice to Kerala waqf board on Munambam

T’puram: The Union ministry of minority affairs has issued a notice to the state waqf board following complaints that the latter had unauthorizedly and arbitrarily included the Munambam land in the UMEED portal dedicated for the management, registration and regulation of waqf properties across India.Centre issued the notice after BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar filed a detailed complaint with Union minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, urging intervention in the matter of the state waqf board allegedly unilaterally registering certain lands, including 404 acres in Munambam, on the UMEED portal. Chandrasekhar pointed out that under the provisions of the UMEED Act, only the concerned mutawalli has the authority to upload land details to the portal, and that the waqf board directly carrying out such registrations was illegal and an overreach of its powers.BJP functionaries said this move shows that Centre is treating seriously the complaints raised by residents and various organizations regarding the Munambam issue. “From the outset, BJP has maintained that the property rights and livelihoods of Munambam residents must be protected,” they said. Chandrasekhar said the waqf board’s ‘unilateral’ inclusion of the land on the UMEED portal raises grave legal and administrative questions.

The BJP state president said the party will also take necessary steps on waqf land complaints emerging in different parts of the state, including Taliparamba. Chandrasekhar added that the party was committed to safeguarding the interests of the true owners of the land and ensuring strong legal and administrative action against unlawful steps.