(MENAFN- IANS) Kolkata, Dec 5 (IANS) Five-time Congress Lok Sabha member and ex-West Bengal unit Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday wrote a letter to President Droupadi Murmu seeking the latter's intervention in extending the deadline for registration of Waqf property in West Bengal.

"I eagerly look forward to your kind intervention in helping out those managing Waqf properties in West Bengal, a state where the problem is immense, by having the time-frame extended till such time every Waqf property in the state is registered on the portal," the letter from Chowdhury to President Murmu read.

In his letter, Chowdhury also elaborated in detail on why he approached the President in connection with the matter.

"In view of the facts about the difficulties faced in getting the properties registered within the time frame, I sincerely plead for your kind intervention in having the time-line for registration extended,” his letter read.

In the letter, Chowdhury pointed out that West Bengal has the highest number of Waqf properties, whose figure is in excess of 1,50,000, and these properties are mainly used for various socio-cultural purposes, including education and burial grounds, among others.

Consequently, Chowdhury added, the members concerned are in a quandary in meeting the deadline for registering and recording the properties on the portal, and have, therefore, been pleading for extending the time frame.

"What is of surprise, and also a matter of concern in this regard, is the fact that the problems being faced in getting the Waqf properties registered on the UMEED portal appear to be more significantly pronounced in the state of West Bengal, unlike other places where such properties seem to be getting registered with relative ease," Chowdhury said in the letter.

According to him, the emergence or creation of Waqf properties has been largely on account of cultural tradition, and hence inadequacies or problems relating to documentary evidence or proof relating to the properties were bound to arise in such cases.

"The boards managing such properties, which are used for the benefit of the community in the state of West Bengal, being faced with very genuine difficulties in meeting the deadline fixed for registration, obviously deserve sympathy, and an objective consideration needs to be given to the demand for extending the time. Instead of compelling the concerned to ensure that the deadline of 6th December, 2025, for registration is adhered to, which may have the effect of compounding the problems being faced, I would urge you to kindly intervene by having the timeline extended beyond 6th December, 2025. It would only be just and proper for extending the time-frame till such time the last Waqf property is registered on the UMEED portal,” Chowdhury added in his letter.

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