Bareli, Aug 4 : Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, the national President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, has responded to the Central government's proposed amendment to Waqf Board Act.

He welcomed the government's move to introduce a bill aimed at controlling the misuse of Waqf Board properties.

Maulana Bareilvi criticised the current Waqf Boards, alleging that board members, in collusion with land mafias, have been misappropriating Waqf Board properties.

He expressed disappointment that had Waqf Boards done their job properly, there would have been a lot of development among Indian Muslims, and no one would have been begging.

He also questioned why the Central government had remained silent for so long about these issues, and expressed hope that the new bill would address these problems.

The cleric emphasised that Waqf Board properties are intended to support the education of poor and vulnerable Muslim children, assist orphans and widows but instead, they were sold off by corrupt officials.

He said that both state and Central governments have failed to curb the excesses of Board officials. According to sources, the Central Cabinet is discussing 40 amendments to the Act.

The proposed amendments include mandatory verification of any property claims by the Waqf Board and changes to the structure of the Central and State Waqf Board Councils to ensure women's representation.

The bill also proposes new verification for disputed lands claimed by state Waqf Boards.

The Waqf Board Act, initially passed in 1954 during Jawaharlal Nehru's government, aimed to simplify Waqf management and provisions.

It led to the establishment of the Central Waqf Council in 1964, under the Ministry of Minority Affairs, providing advisory support on Waqf Board matters. The Waqf Act was amended in 1995 to allow the formation of Waqf Boards in all states and Union Territories.

/IANS