As many as 784 properties have been registered with the Karnataka Waqf Board over the past three years, taking the total number of registered Waqf properties in the state beyond 50,000.

At present, 50,066 Waqf properties are registered with the Karnataka Waqf Board under the names of 26,218 different Waqf institutions. A total of 1,14,235 acres and 27 guntas of land has so far been registered as Waqf property in the state.

Raichur has recorded the highest number of new property registrations in the state, with 163 properties being officially registered in just three years. This is followed by Dakshina Kannada with 82, Kalaburagi with 72, Shivamogga with 44, Chikkodi with 43, Yadgir with 42, Tumakuru with 38, Vijayapura with 33 and Bidar with 34 new registrations.

Kalyana Karnataka has highest Waqf landholding

The 50,066 registered Waqf properties are not limited to buildings but cover a vast area of 1,14,235 acres and 27 guntas.

A geographical assessment shows that the Kalyana Karnataka region has the largest concentration of Waqf land. Kalaburagi district alone has 21,440 acres and 33 guntas registered in the name of the Waqf Board.

Vijayapura has 14,201 acres, Bidar 13,295 acres, Raichur 10,156 acres and Bagalkot 7,300 acres. Haveri has 7,021 acres, Yadgir 6,192 acres, Chikkodi 4,066 acres and Koppal 3,950 acres registered as Waqf property.

Details of Waqf institutions

The registered institutions include 11,306 mosques, 6,187 burial grounds, 3,397 dargahs, 1,594 Eidgahs, 1,034 madrasas and 11,470 other Waqf institutions.

Vijayapura has the highest number of mosques at 1,321, followed by Kalaburagi with 729. Vijayapura also has the highest number of dargahs at 651, while Kalaburagi has 465.

Kalaburagi has the highest number of Eidgahs at 129, followed by Vijayapura with 112. The district also has the highest number of burial grounds, at 727.

Bengaluru Urban has the highest number of madrasas at 152, followed by Kodagu with 131 and Dakshina Kannada with 125.

Bidar has the highest number of other Waqf institutions at 2,698, followed by Kalaburagi with 2,047 and Raichur with 1,033.

Despite confusion among landowners and the public over Waqf properties, a total of 50,066 properties have been registered in the state. However, the digitisation of the records remains pending.

656 encroachment cases

A total of 656 cases related to encroachment of Waqf properties have been registered in the last three years.

Koppal has recorded the highest number of cases at 160, followed by Bengaluru Urban with 106 cases.

So far, the Waqf Board has cleared encroachments and taken possession of properties in 17 cases. These include 12 cases in Bidar, two each in Bengaluru Urban and Davanagere, and one case in Ballari.

Digital documentation yet to be completed

"Fifty thousand and sixty-six properties are registered with the Karnataka Waqf Board. A total of 784 properties have been newly registered over the last three years. There are 656 Waqf property encroachment cases before the Board, of which 17 have been cleared. Digital documentation of Waqf properties has not yet been completed," said U T Khader, Minister for Minority Welfare.

- H K Nataraj