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| Auqaf tenants allege harassment | | |
Jammu April 30
AQUAF Tenants Union, Jammu has alleged
harassment and highhandedness by the Aquaf Trust against its tenants
in general and those belonging to the Hindu community in particular.
In a memorandum submitted to the Minister for Education, Haj and
Aquaf, Peerzada Mohd. Sayeed, on whom a deputation of the Union, led
by Sh Krishan Lal Gupta J&K Pradesh Congress Committee Secretary and
comprising Devinder Gupta and Suraj Prakesh Sharma, President and
General Secretary respectively of the Union, called on today,
submitted that tenants of Aquaf property were allotted either open
Kholas or old worn out houses in Jammu city for residential, semi
commercial and commercial purposes, decades back. These tenants raised
some structures sheds or superstructures on the Kholas allotted to
them, on their own, spending their hard earned money. But the sword of
eviction is always hanging over their heads and in several cases the
trust has forcibly evicted the tenants, throwing their merchandise and
even their household goods on the roads. The memorandum further stated
that the Waqaf Act as amended by the National Conference government in
2001 is highly discriminatory against the tenants belonging to the non
Muslim community, who have no safeguards against their forcible
eviction or other highhandedness by the trust. Although the amended
Waqaf Act 2001 has been challenged in the High Court, who has already
granted stay against the implementation of amended Act, the trust
continuous to be acting to enforce the Act on its tenants. Besides
forcibly evicting the tenants, including those whom the land and
buildings were let out several decades ago, it is insisting on raising
the rent by 600 to 800 times more. The tenants are not being given
permission even for carrying out repairs of the damage parts of the
structures under their occupation.
Terming amended Act for 2001 highly discriminatory and having
dangerous potential to create communal divide and against the secular
order in the State. The union leaders appeal to the minister to
personally intervene and instruct the Waqaf authorities to solve the
problems of the tenants with human touch, readdress their grievances
and give them justice. Informing the minister that the authorities are
not accepting rent from them, obviously with ulterior motive, the
union has requested the minister to resolve the deadlock amicably and
direct the authorities to accept the rents on old rates, while new
agreement should be entered into with the tenants, allowing marginal
increase in the rent.
The minister gave patience hearing to the deputation and assured them
of sympathetic considerations of their demands.
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