KOLKATA: The office of enemy properties in Bengal — the custodian of 2,764 properties in the state — has started making a list of properties free of legal encumbrances, so that the first lot could be put up for sale.

“Enemy properties” are defined as those left behind by people who migrated to Pakistan (after the 1965 and 1971 wars) and China (following the Sino-Indian war of 1962), to take citizenship of those countries.

In 2017, the Centre amended the Enemy Property Act, 1968, and Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971. It was decided that heirs of those who left India after 1962, 1965, and 1971 cannot claim ownership of these (enemy) properties.

Late last month, Union home minister Amit Shah set up a panel to auction more than 9,400 enemy properties across India, which is likely to fetch around Rs 1 lakh crore to the exchequer.

Following this, the Custodian of Enemy Property for India started working on a pilot auction in Bengal to assess the nature of the properties to be auctioned and prepare a legal report before the first lot is put up for sale.

Last year, the Centre allowed state governments to use some enemy properties for public utilities.

“The first step in the pilot project is to free up a property and to divest it under Section 18 of the Enemy Property Act,” an official with the Custodian of Enemy Property for India said.

“One wing of the department is busy making the properties free of encumbrances,” he said.

As of now, most enemy properties in Bengal are rented out to corporates or individuals, with the custodian office collecting rent. Maintenance of the properties is sometimes challenging, as the tenant cannot change the nature of the property.

“A large chunk of these properties is in districts like Malda and Murshidabad. There are certain iconic buildings in Kolkata, too, that are used for commercial purposes,” the official said.

