Work on gas godown halted over graveyard land dispute

Biharsharif: Construction work for a proposed gas godown near S S Balika Uchcha Vidyalaya in Biharsharif was stopped after revenue officials found the land was allegedly part of a graveyard and classified as govt land.

The controversy surfaced after objections were raised over the alleged lease of nearly 2,200 sq ft of land by the officiating secretary of Soghra Waqf Estate to former deputy mayor Shankar Kumar for setting up a Bharat Gas storage facility.

Biharsharif circle officer Prabhat Ranjan reached the spot after receiving complaints and ordered the work to be stopped. He sought land-related documents from both sides and said preliminary inquiry suggested the land belonged to a kabristan and was recorded as gair aam mazarua, or govt land.

Shankar claimed he had entered into a valid lease agreement after being provided all relevant documents by the estate authorities, while estate mutawalli Mukhtar Alam refused to speak to reporters.

Soghra Waqf Estate, registered with the Bihar State Sunni Waqf Board, has frequently remained in controversy over issues related to property management and administrative decisions.

Recently, allegations surfaced that officials had appointed teaching and non-teaching staff without following prescribed norms, while several community leaders claimed the committee was continuing beyond its tenure.

Considered among Bihar’s major waqf estates, it owns educational institutions, markets, commercial complexes and agricultural land in Biharsharif, besides properties in Patna, Sheikhpura, Muzaffarpur and Samastipur districts worth several hundred crore rupees.

Aziziya Madrassa, which was burnt down during the 2023 communal violence, was later reconstructed by the state govt at a cost of Rs 18 crore.