SUNNI BOARD TO BUILD MOSQUE, HOSPITAL ON FIVE-ACRE LAND

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board (SCWB) announced on Monday that it would accept the five-acre land allotted to it as part of the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya land dispute case on November 9.

The board, which was the main litigant in the case, also announced the formation of a trust to look after the construction of the mosque as well as an Indo-Islamic centre, a grand hospital and a public library on the land.

Monday’s announcement came after the SCWB held a meeting of its members to discuss the pending issues related to compliance with the SC order.

Chairman of SCWB Zufar Ahmed Farooqui said, “In the board meeting, it was decided to accept the five-acre land and to form a trust to look after the construction of the mosque.”

Farooqui said the trust would also construct a centre that would highlight the rich Indo-Islamic culture.

Farooqui further said the suggestion to construct an Indo-Islamic centre, a hospital and a library came from the board members.On November 9, the

board had called a presser and announced that it would welcome the SC’s order and not file a review petition. In a historic verdict in November on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of construction of a temple.

It also ruled that an alternative five-acre plot must be found for a mosque within Ayodhya. Based on the SC verdict, the Centre had asked the Uttar Pradesh government to allot five acres of land to the SCWB. The UP cabinet after its meeting on February 5 made the allotment in Dhannipur village in Sohawal tehsil of Ayodhya district.

The piece of land that was inspected by a team of SCWB last week is 18 km from the district headquarters Faizabad (Ayodhya), 200 metres from the highway and has easy access.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, which represented the Muslim litigants in the court, had rejected the offer to allot a land to Muslims for the mosque.

UP minister of state for minority welfare Mohsin Raza welcomed the Sunni Wakf Board’s decision to accept five -acre land for the mosque.

“I congratulate the Sunni Wakf Board on its decision,” Raza said.