POLICE REQUIRED TO RECLAIM LAND: WAKF BOARD

The Waqf Board in Kolkata wants a dedicated police force to reclaim its 1,43,361 acres of land, spread across the state. “I had put in a requisition for at least 15 police personnel headed by an IPS officer to help us take possession of the 1,43,361 acre property across West Bengal,” said Md Abdul Ghani, the newly appointed chairman, Board of Waqfs, who added that in Malda itself there were 22,000 estates belonging to the Board. The Board of Waqfs has so far failed to evict encroachers from the litigated properties even after the verdicts being passed in their favour. “A burning example is the office of Waqf Boards on Madan Street itself. It covers an area of over 13,600 sqft but 50 per cent of it has been encroached upon by illegal tenants from the last 30-40 years,” said a senior official of the Waqf Board. Khalil Ahmed, special secretary in-charge, minority department, confirmed the dearth of security personnel.