The CPI has accused the government of indirectly helping Lanco Infratech Limited, the power and infrastructure group, and the Dubai-based Emaar Properties in the Wakf land cases.
CPI state secretariat member Syed Azeez Pasha said that the draft petition, drawn up by the Wakf Board, for filing a counter in the SC in the Wakf land case pertaining to the two companies, were quite weak. “It looks like the government is trying to indirectly help the two companies who have been allotted Wakf land against rules. The government also failed to appoint strong advocates to fight the case,” he alleged.
Mr Pasha said about 1,890 acres of Wakf land was registered way back in 1935 under the Shavali dargah and the government allotted a part of it to companies in contravention of the rules. “The state should take steps to protect Wakf land. In Vizag, the state allotted Wakf land to the Hindujas at a meagre rate of Rs 2 lakh per acre while the market rate was Rs 20 lakh.”