Belagavi, 18 Dec

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday assured the Assembly that the government will not remove those temples which are built on Waqf properties. In case notices have been served to them, then they will be withdrawn, he said.

During a discussion on the issue of the Waqf Board issuing eviction notices to farmers, temples and many other individuals, the Chief Minister said, "If temples have been built on Waqf properties then we will not remove them."

As the raging Waqf issue echoed in the Assembly with the BJP raising it, the Waqf and Minority Affairs Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan clarified that if notices were given to farmers and temples then they will be withdrawn.

The Chief Minister too reiterated Khan's statement and said no farmer will be evicted from the land they have been tilling.

The Chief Minister underlined the need to save the Waqf properties saying that there were 1.10 lakh acres of Waqf properties in the state which now reduced to just 20,000 acres due to various provisions of law such as the Inam Abolition Act as well as encroachment. –PTI