Trichy (Tamil Nadu): Amid a political row over the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 introduced by the NDA government on Thursday to give sweeping powers to the government in deciding the affairs of the Waqf properties in the country, a village in Tamil Nadu's Trichy is at the centre of the controversy with villagers embroiled in a dispute with the state Waqf Board.
Tamil Nadu Village Highlights Waqf Amendment Bill 2024
Thiruchenthurai village, located in the Srirangam constituency of Trichy, was mentioned by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju in Parliament as he presented the Bill in the House to opposition from the opposition parties. Amid resistance to the bill, the NDA government referred it to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for necessary recommendations. In his address, Rijiju said, "Several acres of land in Trichy Thiruchenthurai village has been declared as belonging to the Waqf Board."
Since 2022, Thiruchenthurai village has been in the limelight because of the land dispute with the Waqf Board.
ETV Bharat conducted a field visit to the village to learn about the ground situation of the dispute and know the locals' reaction to the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.
ETV Bharat correspondent Abdul Karim met the villagers. Thiruchenthurai village near Jeeyapuram is a beautiful farming village situated on the south bank of river Cauvery. Both Hindus and Muslims live in harmony in the village with the 1,500-year-old Thiruchenthurai Chandrasekhara Swamy Temple, built during the Chola period located here.
How Land Dispute With Waqf Board Started
In September 2022, a Hindu man from the village tried to sell his land for his daughter's marriage. When he went to the deed office, he was informed that he had to obtain a 'no objection certificate' from the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board office in Chennai which sparked a protest by the villagers.
Raja, a doctor from Thiruchenthurai village while reacting to the row said, "They say that a total of 389 acres of land belongs to the Waqf Board. But they have no evidence for this. The central government is taking action on this issue. Likewise, the Tamil Nadu government should intervene in this matter and declare that the Wakf Board does not own this land, but belongs to the natives of the village”.
"The district administration has said that there is no restriction on deed registration in the village at present. But the fear has completely affected the sale of land. No one comes forward to buy land in this town due to which, those who want to sell the land in a hurry are struggling to get the price,” Raja added.
Trichy District Collector recently told the press that in 2022, an appeal was made from the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board to the Sub-Registrar's Office, regarding 389 acres of land belonging to the Waqf Board in Tiruchenthurai village, Trichy. The DC informed that following the protest by the locals, the bond registrations have been temporarily suspended for now.
Following peace talks between the locals and the Waqf Board officials, it has been decided based on negotiation that there is no bar to register the deed. The District Collector said that there is no restriction on buying and selling land in Tiruchenthurai village. Although the government claims that a temporary solution has been found to the problem, the faultlines remain with the villagers saying that they will find a way to live in peace only by removing the fear in the minds of the people.
Read more: Joint Panel on Waqf Bill Formed; 21 MPs From Lok Sabha, 10 From Rajya Sabha
