Mumbai, Jan. 28 -- The Maharashtra government has decided to waive stamp duty registration charges on the sale and purchase of so-called "enemy properties" in a move aimed at boosting participation in their auction. The decision was taken at a state cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Enemy properties are assets belonging to people who migrated to countries that India considers hostile, mainly Pakistan and China, after conflicts with those nations. Following the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the Indian parliament enacted the Enemy Property Act, 1968, under which such properties were vested in the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI), an authority under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The legislation prevents enemy nationals and their heirs from transferring, selling or inheriting such properties. In 2017, the Act was amended to allow CEPI to sell or dispose of enemy properties with prior approval from the central government. Sales are typically conducted through e-auctions by inviting tenders or by obtaining quotations. Officials from the state revenue department said that the response to these auctions has been limited so far. "The decision [to waive off stamp duty] would reduce the cost of the property and subsequently encourage greater participation in auctions," said a senior official. The decision was taken following a request from CEPI to the state government, the official added. Maharashtra has 428 enemy properties, of which 239 are in Mumbai alone. Sixty-two of these are in the island city, while 177 are in the suburbs. In other parts of the state, there are 86 in Thane, 77 in Palghar, 11 in Ratnagiri, six in Nagpur, four in Pune, two in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, two in Jalna, and one in Sindhudurg....