MUMBAI, Oct. 13 -- With 462 "enemy properties" identified in 11 districts of the state and the process of their detailed compilation almost completed, the central and state governments will soon put them in the public domain to facilitate their monetisation. The central government is also planning to amend the Enemy Property Act to weed out stumbling blocks such as encroachments and litigation that come in the way of auctioning the properties. The Mumbai branch of the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI) and state government have, over the last couple of years, expedited the process of notifying the central government as CEPI. In the process, the revenue department has collated details related to the properties and the status of litigation and encroachment. Most of the 462 properties-the fifth highest count across the country after Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal-are in Island Mumbai (78), Mumbai Suburban (181), Palghar (77), Thane (90) and a few in districts like Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Ratnagiri and Jalgaon. The number increased exponentially after the central government amended the Act in 2017, strengthening its control over the properties as custodian. The Mumbai enemy properties include the Diana Talkies building at Tardeo, which is awaiting redevelopment; two properties at Bori Chawl House, Colaba; Building 575, Supari Baug, Parel; two properties at Moti Cinema, Girgaum; Plot 85, Kale Khan Chawl, Kandivali; Kishori Court, Worli; and two flats in Naples CHS, Colaba. "The auctions we conduct don't get a response for many reasons, including unawareness about the concept and fear of the involvement of criminals," said an official. "Some ask us if the properties are linked to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Putting them in the public domain will help give clarity and spark more interest in the properties." The district collectors, who are the deputy custodians of these properties, will be asked to list all the properties on their websites. Another officer from the revenue department said that the compilation was almost complete. "The collectors expedited the process of litigation, and removed or initiated the removal of the encroachments to make the properties free of any burden that would hinder their monetisation," he said. After the 2017 amendment, the government intends amending the Act further. "There will be amendments to simplify the rights of the occupants or tenants to facilitate faster disposal. The 2017 amendment made it clear that the properties remain vested in the Custodian even if the original owners' citizenship changes. It has banned legal heirs, even Indian citizens, from inheriting these properties and barred civil courts from hearing disputes on them. Now there will be more clarity about the occupants but the new amendment is expected to take at least a year."...