Mananthavady: Even as the Kerala State Wakf Board is embroiled in a land dispute at Munambam in Ernakulam district, it has emerged that it has sent notices to five families alleging them of encroaching on its land in Mananthavady.

The notice claims that four Muslim families and one Hindu household of Thavinjal panchayat at the Mananthavady taluk of Wayanad district have encroached on its land near a mosque at Thalappuzha.

VP Salim of VP House, CV Hamza Faizy of Faizy House, Jamal of Arafa House, Ukkadan Rahamath of Mangattidam, and Puthiyidam Alakkandi Ravi received the notice. Ravi and Rahmath own land, whereas others have constructed houses and shops on the property.

Interestingly, all the landowners have valid title deeds and have remitted the land tax to date. According to the building register of Thavinjal Panchayat, one building in the disputed land has documents dating back to 1948.

Jamal told Onmanorama that the notice was a bolt from the blue for his family. “We are yet to come out of the shock”, he said, as he has lived in the house on the 15-cent land for the past 14 years. “Some families own as little as 9 cents,” he added. “I do not own any other property," he added.

He said there were seven houses and around 10 shops on the land along the road in front of the Thalappuzha police station.

Hamza Faizy said he owns 12.75 cents of land and has all valid documents since 1998. “I have served as the office bearer of Jama'at for many years, but still, the Board sent me the notice," he said.

Though community leaders, local politicians, revenue and panchayat officials have visited him to pacify him, Hamza Faizy is a worried man. He lives in a house built in 1987 by Alikkunju, a native of Manjeshwar. “Even my house is 37 years old,” he said.

According to the revenue records, the disputed land belongs to 47/1 and 45/1 survey numbers. The action was based on a complaint submitted by the managing committee of Hidayathul Islam Jamaat mosque at Thalappuzha, which informed the Wakf Board that 4.7 acres of its land had been alienated.

The mosque now has only 67 cents, including the mosque, madrassa and the cemetery.

The current president of the mosque committee Abdul Nassar told Onmanorama that the issue was first raised during 2006-2012. The land was donated by the faithful to meet the needs of the mosque through a title deed (No 1428) executed in 1963. “Wakf authorities, who were here in connection with an inquiry in another issue, directed us to intimate the Wakf office about the loss of land,” he said. Nassar hoped the issue would be sorted out without breaking many hearts.

The Kerala State Wakf Board, in the notice issued, directed the land owners to report to its regional office in Kozhikode with all the documents on November 16.

Though only five families have received notice so far, other families living in the area are also scared that they may receive notices in the future.

Local people have formed an action council and submitted a memorandum to Minister O R Kelu.