{ முகநூல் கருத்துக்கள்}{ட்விட்டர் கருத்துக்கள்}

In Greek Mythology, Hercules was the one who was commanded to clean the Augean stables - an impossible task - which of course the hero Hercules did complete. The task assigned to the Wakf Boards in India is something similar to that.

Take Tamil Nadu Wakf Board. Over 6500 wakf bodies - with complex issues, all to be managed by a staff numbering around 100. What complexity? Majority of these wakf bodies have their own bye-laws - theoretically with 6500 different modalities. As for the properties? Many of it not disclosed, much of it under-disclosed. It is a legal paradise as well as a nightmare.

Broadly the brief of the Wakf Board is to oversee whether Wakfs are doing the work for which they were created. From this stems the other responsibilities: overseeing proper management of the wakfs (succession, election, selection issues) and overseeing employment of revenue generated for the purpose they were assigned.

How can Wakf Board effectively manage all this? In one word, transparency.

Tamil Nadu Wakf Board should upgrade its Website. To start with, they must list all the Wakfs registered with it - districtwise, citywise and villagewise. This will help people who visit the Website to point out those Wakfs that have not been registered.

Next, they should list the Proforma Reports and Bye-laws of the Wakfs in the Website. This will help the people to familiarise themselves with the rules that need to be employed by the Wakfs and point out when they are not.

The Website should also display when were the last elections held to a particular body and when are they due next.

Periodically, Wakf Board issues certain circulars - which have huge consequences. Yet, these are circulated through ordinary posts - not guaranteeing their delivery. Sometimes those who run the Wakfs plead non-receipt of such circulars. To avoid this, these circulars should be compulsorily put on the Website and it should be the duty of those who run the Wakfs to familiarise themselves with latest regulations by visiting the Website.

The Wakf Body should also make it compulsory for the Wakfs to periodically (once in 6 months or so) - send to it - the updated copy of the Minutes Book and these should be put on the Website.

Next comes the financial issue. Many - if not most - of the Wakfs do not disclose a whole property, also under disclose income of the disclosed properties. By putting the Statements of Account of all Wakfs in the Website, the Jamath members can be encouraged to point out discrepencies in them. The Website should also display all the properties owned by a particular Wakf, their nature and revenue from them. Any discrepancy would be apparent to all.

There are many Wakfs that do not submit their accounts regularly, though they are legally bound to send projection by every January and a Statement of Account by May (with 7% Contribution Fee) to the Wakf Board. Information on Wakfs that fail to do these - if publicised on the Website - would goad the ordinary members of such Wakfs to demand filing of those details on time.

Wakfs are God's properties. Everyone must take interest in ensuring these are administered properly. kayalpatnam.com - since 2006 - has been obtaining latest disclosed income details of all the Wakfs in Kayalpatnam - annually. This year's details would be published shortly.

Some of the suggestions given here may take time to implement, yet implementation of them need to be begun on war-footing, if the Muslim community is to be saved from endless litigations and the attendant casualties.