Nagpur has been placed at the heart of Maharashtra’s most ambitious attempt yet to bring order to the chaotic world of Waqf properties — a sector long plagued by encroachment, outdated leases, and shocking revenue leakages.
The state government, through the Maharashtra State Board of Waqf (MSBW), has launched a massive drive to digitally map and geo-tag over 23,500 Waqf assets spread across 92,000 acres statewide. Valued at thousands of crores, these properties include mosques, dargahs, madrasas, graveyards, and prime commercial spaces — many of which today lie either under illegal occupation or generating meagre rent.
Nagpur itself is home to around 470 such properties spread over 9,000 acres in areas like Mominpura, Itwari, and Gandhibagh. Yet, despite their prime locations, they contribute a fraction of their potential to community welfare or civic revenue. The Waqf Board currently earns just ₹8.5 crore annually from rentals across Maharashtra, a figure that experts say could touch ₹50 crore once digitisation closes the loopholes.
Officials admit that in Nagpur, outdated rent agreements and tax evasion have bled both the Board and the Municipal Corporation. Now, with GIS mapping, drone surveys, and cross-verification with Revenue Department records, authorities hope to settle ownership disputes and recover long-pending civic dues.
Trustees and managers of Waqf institutions, many accused of negligence, will also face scrutiny, while police and anti-encroachment squads prepare to step in against resistance. For Nagpur, this digital shake-up is not just about revenue — it is about reclaiming community wealth from decades of neglect.
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