Maharashtra Sets Up Special Benches To Resolve Waqf Land Disputes

In the Indian state of Maharashtra, some people found that their family land had been marked as belonging to a Waqf Board, which manages land gifted for religious purposes.

The landowners, including some tribal farmers, said this was a mistake.

The state's Revenue Minister, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, held a meeting to look into the problem.

He said special benches, which are like special courts, will be set up across the state to deal with these land disputes quickly.

If officials check the records and find that a Waqf entry is not legal, they will remove it and may take further legal action.

The minister said the same problem is happening in many parts of Maharashtra, not just one area.

He also asked officials to give back some empty farming land to its original owners and to build a new revenue office in Surgana.

He wants government offices to have zero pending work, so citizens do not have to visit offices again and again.

Most importantly, he said cases about tribal people's land rights should be handled first and finished on time.