Malappuram: Muslim organisations across Kerala are facing a major administrative crisis as the deadline to upload waqf property records to the Centre’s UMEED portal expires. The digital process began six months ago. Thousands of mahals are still struggling to secure the documents needed for registration. Leaders fear the loss of large parts of Kerala’s waqf land if the deadline is not extended.
Kerala has around 50,000 waqf properties under 13,000 mahals. Only 17,000 properties have been uploaded. The Kerala Waqf Board says only 8,000 mahals completed the process on time. The rest are searching for land deeds, pattayams, tax records, and old survey documents that are scattered across government departments. Many documents for older waqf assets are missing or inaccessible. Mahal committees say this is the main hurdle.
Political leaders also raised concerns. IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty said the digital transition has created fear in the community. He said the pace of implementation has pushed many mahals into crisis. He added that the state government did not support the process.
Committees report technical issues on the UMEED portal. Many say they were informed about the urgency only in the past week. They also say many muttawallis lack digital skills and need assistance to complete the upload.
Community leaders are asking the Centre and the state government to extend the deadline. They say waqf properties support mosques, madrassas, welfare institutions, and burial grounds. They warn that Kerala could face historic losses if the deadline remains unchanged.
