Lucknow: In what could be described as one of the largest land recovery drives in Uttar Pradesh’s history, the state government has sounded the alarm on a staggering 57,792 government properties—covering over 11,000 acres—wrongly registered under the Waqf Board. And no, this isn’t a typo. That’s thousands of acres of public land quietly slipping into private control under the guise of religious endowments.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s government has directed District Magistrates across all 75 districts to submit detailed reports identifying every piece of government land erroneously recorded as Waqf property. The instruction is clear: name, location, area, and plot number—every inch must be accounted for.
The directive comes after an internal review revealed the shocking extent of the issue. In an era where land disputes can stretch across generations, finding out that government land has been casually handed over to the Waqf Board is raising eyebrows across the state. “We are talking about public properties that should have been used for hospitals, schools, or infrastructure development. Instead, they have been locked up under private entities,” said a senior state official.
What’s more unsettling is that these registrations were not accidents; they were rubber-stamped by officials who apparently thought the government owned too much land and needed to share some. These individuals are now under the scanner, with the government keen on identifying the masterminds behind this land-grab masquerading as administrative oversight.
While the probe is still in its early stages, the numbers rolling in from the districts are jaw-dropping. Reports suggest that the illegal registrations span both rural and urban areas, including prime real estate in major cities like Lucknow, Kanpur, and Ghaziabad.
The stakes are high, and so are the tensions. The opposition has already latched onto the development, accusing the government of targeting a particular community. However, officials maintain that this is purely about safeguarding government assets. “This is not about religion; it’s about legality. Public land is for public use,” clarified a senior bureaucrat.
The government is also treading cautiously given the potential legal quagmire. Waqf properties, once registered, enjoy special protection under the Waqf Act, making any reversal a complex and often contentious affair. Legal experts predict a wave of litigation as the government moves to reclaim these properties.
Meanwhile, residents of UP are watching closely. With land disputes often spiraling into violence in the state, the administration is bracing for resistance from those benefiting from these fraudulent registrations.
As the investigation unfolds, one thing is certain: this is not just a paper exercise. The government appears determined to wrestle back every inch of public land. And if that means dragging a few corrupt officials into the limelight, so be it.