Ritika
There are nearly 20 villages in Tamil Nadu where villagers cannot sell their land without the approval of the Waqf Board.
Thiruchendurai villagers with their documents
Villagers in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruchendurai village were in for a shock after a land owner, trying to sell his land, was informed that he must get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Waqf Board according to a recent letter to the sub-registrar’s office.
Rajagopal wanted to sell a little over an acre of land when he was told to get the NOC since the land now belonged to the Waqf Board. Baffled by this new information about his own land, Rajagopal checked all his documents but couldn’t find any such claims.
But, there is a bigger problem. According to the official, all the land of Thiruchendurai village now belongs to the Waqf Board and if anyone wants to sell off the land, they will have to secure an NOC from the board in Chennai.
Villagers lined up outside the district administration’s office who didn’t find any truth to the claim. There was no data about Muslims living in the area and documents showed that a resettlement happened in 1927-1928 and no information about Muslims owning property in the area could be found.
However, a 20-page letter has been sent to 12 registration offices in Trichy by the Waqf Board, claiming lands in several districts.
Thiruchendurai has a 1500-year-old Sundareswarar Temple and several customs related to the Srirangam Temple were held in the village, making villagers question how the Waqf could claim their land.
According to the letter, 18 villages are facing a similar situation and the authorities, shocked by this development, have promised to resolve the matter.
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