by reciprocal arrangement with Star of Mysore
 
Bangalore Palace land issue

Bangalore, Mar 24: The daughters of late Jayachamaraja Wadiyar have appealed to the Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to resolve the issue of 140-acre land of Bangalore Palace in the heart of the city, out-of-court.

The four daughters of the former Maharaja of Mysore, Tripura Sundara Devi, Kamakshi Devi, Indrakshi Devi and Vishalakshmi Devi, told reporters at a press meet here on Thursday March23, that they had requested the Chief Minister to get the issue resolved out-of-court because it had been before the Supreme Court for several years and had caused difficulties, as a result of nobody getting justice in the case.

'Although the land is there, it is not benefiting us in any way. We have not been able to enjoy the property unlike other citizens. The status of the issue has remained unchanged since 1984. Apart from incurring legal expenses, crores of rupees are required to be remitted as taxes. All these have brought our financial position into dire straits,' they observed.

'The property of the erstwhile Royal Family needs to be retained jointly by the Government and public. It would augur well if a memorial for Jayachamaraja Wadiyar was erected on part of the land and the rest of the land used for the good of the State and people,' they added.

'Provision should be made for utilizing a part of the land to develop commercial enterprises. In this context, we are prepared to part with a specific portion of the land in favour of the government,' they explained.

'The Chief Minister has told us that he would study the matter relating to the revision petition to the Supreme Court by the State Government on the dispute and take appropriate steps. A total of 450 acres were there in the premises of Bangalore Palace, out of which we the five princesses (including late Gayathri Devi) are to get 28 acres each but, along with our children, are not able to enjoy the property. The rest of the property belongs to Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar. We have not brought in that issue in the dispute,' they explained.