Latest news with #PunjabWaqfBoard
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Punjab MP Charanjit Singh Channi slams Jalandhar Cantt board notice to evict Eidgah
Jalandhar: Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi , speaking in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, objected to the eviction of Eidgah in Jalandhar Cantonment and opposed the move. He said the Eidgah had been in existence since 1909, and the Muslim community offered prayers on the 1.78-acre cantonment Eidgah land. "This land was officially declared Waqf property under a central govt notification on Dec 2, 1995, and the Punjab Waqf Board holds full ownership, which is also recorded in the cantonment board's records," he said. He said Jalandhar Cantonment Board issued a notice on July 17, asking for the Eidgah to be vacated within 10 days despite the matter being in court. Opposing this notice, he asserted the Muslim community's right to this land. He claimed that this action was allegedly taken under the The Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, which was a clear violation of the Supreme Court's directives. Channi demanded in the Lok Sabha that such actions should be prohibited during court proceedings. He urged the defence minister to intervene and ensure compliance with court directives, stopping the illegal and biased campaign against the Waqf-owned Eidgah. He also raised the issue of the suspension of property registrations allotted to the general public in Jalandhar Cantonment and suggested that a peripheral road be constructed for the 13 villages within the cantonment for the benefit of the military.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Nabha village cries foul over land transfer to waqf board, says meant for farming
PATIALA: A controversy has erupted in Boran Khurd village of Patiala's Nabha sub-division after the transfer of 37 acres of village panchayat land to the Punjab Waqf Board, with villagers claiming that the land was transferred without the mandatory consent of the local panchayat. Boran Khurd village, which comprises around 60% Dalit population, is now left with just 15 acres of common village land for farming. According to officials in the revenue department, the land in question was originally registered under the waqf board, though it remained under the panchayat's control for decades. The present transfer, they say, is part of a nationwide drive - in compliance with central govt directions - to identify and correctly record waqf properties in official records and online portals. Residents of Boran Khurd said the land was always managed by the panchayat. Sarpanch Baljit Kaur said generations of villagers could testify to the land being auctioned annually by the rural development department. "Even the water supply department constructed a building on an acre of this land," she added. Panchayat member Mohan Singh cited historical records, stating that in 1977, the panchayat allotted four-marla residential plots to landless families from two acres of the same land. "All documents are available in the Chandigarh office," he said. The issue surfaced when the revenue department refused permission this year to the village panchayat to auction 323 kanals of land (around 37 acres) by saying that it belonged to the waqf board. The panchayat reviewed old records and found a similar attempt to transfer the land in 1994, which was eventually nullified. Contradicting these claims, local revenue official Jagdish Bawa, who is a patwari, said the land legally belonged to the waqf board, as per the 1971 Gazette of India. He clarified that the disputed land included the site of the water supply department's building, but the plots allocated in 1977 were from separate panchayat land. He acknowledged that the 1994 transfer was indeed rejected, though he said he was unaware of the reasons behind that decision. "The panchayat has every right to file an appeal with the sub-divisional magistrate," he added. Villagers started finding ways to challenge the transfer. They have staged protests against the Punjab govt, accusing it of undermining local governance and transparency. Sources reveal that similar ownership changes in favour of the waqf board are taking place in other villages of Nabha, including Faizgarh, Saholi, and Ramgarh, intensifying the debate around land records and community rights. "We will fight a legal battle against this and if need arises we will also hold protests," said panchayat member Mohan Singh.
