IIT-Delhi tasked with ground survey of waqf properties to plug gaps in data

NEW DELHI: With survey data on waqf properties severely lacking despite an ambitious digitisation and geo-tagging plan being in place for several years, govt has tasked IIT-Delhi with carrying out a sample survey of properties registered with state waqf boards and preparing a report on management challenges.
“The ground assessment report is expected in the next two months. It will form the basis for recommending to states a template of a survey for creating a robust database of existing registered properties and new ones that will be added in the future,” Union minority affairs secretary Chandra Shekhar Kumar told TOI.
There are over 8.72 lakh properties registered as waqf and more than half are in the category of ‘Waqf by User’, as per data shared by states with the minority affairs ministry. Waqf properties are spread over around 39 lakh acres of land across the country, according to the ministry.
However, officials said data on the survey of registered properties shared by states on the Waqf Assets Management System of India (WAMSI) portal to authenticate registration details, usage and revenue are severely lacking, resulting in absence of a robust record of onground status of properties. They said it has been noticed that properties being registered by boards were not always being surveyed for verification, resulting in ambiguity and opening up the possibility for disputes.
For instance, the portal shows that digitisation data of records is available for just about 3.3 lakh properties. Officials said the problem is that as of now it is not mandatory under law for states to put out information. However, this will change under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, they said, citing provisions in the law that lay down the contours for monitoring and accountability of waqf properties.
“The exercise was assigned to IIT-Delhi in Jan. Once it gives its report, it will be studied to provide a base for developing a standardised format for management and survey. It will be shared with state boards to enable them to conduct surveys and step up registration and monitoring of properties already registered,” Kumar said.
Even though the Supreme Court is hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the amended waqf law, the ministry, given that there is no stay, has started preparations for implementing the Act to streamline the waqf management system.
The ministry is planning to set up an internal committee within the next fortnight to draft rules to implement the law, officials said.
In keeping with the amendments related to enhancing efficiency of boards, work has started to develop a new website to replace the WAMSI portal. “The new website seeks to weed out problems in the system by bringing in greater transparency and accountability to ensure waqf properties are not only registered on the portal but are actually existing on the ground for the purpose that they were set up for,” Kumar said.