The Uttarakhand State Information Commission (SIC) has ordered the Waqf board to put all its properties across the State under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act of (2005).
There are around 2200 Waqf properties in Uttarakhand which generate revenue in the millions of rupees. Under the Waqf Act-1995 (Amended 2013), these properties are under the control of the Uttarakhand Waqf Board. There have been persistent complaints about transparency in the management of Waqf properties.
The order to bring Waqf properties under the RTI was issued by State Information Commissioner Yogesh Bhatt. Mr Bhatt has asked the Waqf board to prepare manuals under section IV of the RTI within six months and also appoint RTI officers.
“A procedure to get information directly from the Waqf management concerned or the board should be set in place,” Mr. Bhatt said.
This comes after several right wing organisations complained about the “massive size of the Waqf’s estate in the State and their ‘hidden’ revenue model”.
The SIC, however, said that the decision was taken after an advocate, Danish Siddiqui, filed an appeal at the information commission.
Mr. Siddiqui, In July last year, had sought information under the RTI about development in Roorkee’s Piran Kaliyar Dargah, from the Waqf board. In reply, the board told Mr. Siddiqui that the information could not be provided since there was no PIO in the shrine.
