Khattar meets Naqvi, demands changes in Wakf lease rules

CHANDIGARH: Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has urged Union minister of state for minority affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to amend the Wakf Act and Lease Rules, as lease holders of properties were facing difficulties.

Khattar, who met Naqvi in New Delhi on Monday, said the amendments made in the Wakf Act and Lease Rules after 2014 had rendered its various rules “illogical and unjustifiable” due to which lease holders of Wakf Properties were having problems.

“The representatives of various lease holders have requested for re-amendments in these rules and the ministry was earlier apprised about these demands of the lease holders,” he said.

The CM said that amendments were needed in Wakf Lease Rules 7, 18 and 19. “Under Rule 7, the right to fix the minimum lease rate should rest with the Wakf Board. Under Rule 18, the renewal of lease should be done without bid. Under rule 19 for shops, cold storages and other commercial activities, the maximum limit of lease should be increased from five years to 30 years,” he added.

Khattar also urged Naqvi to launch major public welfare projects on properties of Wakf Board in Gurgaon and Palwal districts through National Wakf Development Corporation (NAWADCO).