Chennai, Sep 30 : The Tamil Nadu Minorities welfare department has directed officials of the revenue department to be cautious while registering the properties belonging to the Waqf board. The Principal Secretary, Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Minority Welfare department has written to the Inspector General Registration, Tamil Nadu not to register documents alienating Wakf Board properties based on the "No-Objection" certificates issued by the staff of Tamil Nadu Waqf Board. The department informed the IG registration that only the Chief Executive Officer of the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board has the right to issue "No- Objection" certificate on behalf of the Waqf Board. It is to be noted that the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board has 7,472 Waqf institutions and 53,834 Waqf properties. Several Muslim political parties and organisations had appealed to Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin that many of the Waqf properties were alienated based on the NoCs issued by the Waqf board Inspector and Waqf Superintendent. Manithaneya Makkal Katchi leader, M.H. Jawahirullah thanked Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin for the immediate action regarding the Waqf board properties being lost due to the practice of NoC being handed out by Waqf Inspector and Waqf Superintendent. Jawahirullah while speaking to IANS said, "This move shows that the DMK and in particular Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has a deep interest in protecting the Waqf properties and to act in a timely manner on our petition. I do thank the Chief Minister on behalf of the Muslims of Tamil Nadu." The Principal Secretary, Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Minority welfare, A. Karthik in the letter to the IG Registration, M.P. Sivanarul pointed out that Section 104-A of the Waqf Act, 1995 prohibits any sale, gift, exchange, mortgage or transfer of Waqf property. The Principal Secretary also pointed out in the letter that if any dispute arises over whether a property is Waqf property or not, the board is the deciding authority as per Section 40 of the Waqf Act, 1995. /IANS