MP Waqf Board To Take Over Bhopal’s Ijtima Bazaar After 56 Years

A major change is set to take place in the management of Bhopal’s historic Ijtima Bazaar after about 56 years. The Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board will now take over the operation of the market, which has so far been managed by the Darul Shafqat Society.

The Darul Shafqat Society has agreed to hand over the responsibility for running the market to the Waqf Board. With this decision, the long-standing arrangement for the management of Ijtima Bazaar is set to change.

The Madhya Pradesh Waqf Board said the system for allocating and operating the shops would be made more transparent and broader. According to the board, the shops in the market had been held by people from one community for about 20 years.

The board said it is preparing to change this arrangement and provide other communities and people in need with an opportunity to conduct business at the market. The proposed change is expected to focus on widening participation in the market’s shop-allocation system.

The Waqf Board believes that the opportunity to run shops at Ijtima Bazaar should reach as many people as possible. After the new system is introduced, changes may be made to the process for allotting shops.

This could allow people who have so far been unable to set up shops at the market to get an opportunity to do business there. However, the exact process for the new allocation system has not been specified.

Ijtima Bazaar has maintained a distinct identity in Bhopal for a long time. The Darul Shafqat Society had been responsible for its operation for about 56 years. Following the society’s consent, the Waqf Board is now set to assume responsibility for managing the market.

The change is being seen as more than a shift in the agency responsible for operating Ijtima Bazaar. It also points to a fresh approach to deciding how shops are allocated and how different groups participate in the market.

The Waqf Board’s stated plan is to end what it describes as the existing monopoly and give more people a chance to run shops. The board’s claim is that the new arrangement will make the market more inclusive for other communities and those who need an opportunity to start or run a business.

Attention will now be focused on the process the Waqf Board adopts for allocating the shops under the new system. It will also be seen how many new people actually receive an opportunity to conduct business at Ijtima Bazaar.