Captions: 1) Pramoda Devi Wadiyar addressing a media conference at the Palace this morning. 2) Pramoda Devi Wadiyar with her husband Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar’s sisters Indrakshi Devi and Vishalakshi Devi (extreme right). [Pic. by Pragathi Gopalakrishna]
Mysore, Aug. 21
Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, the scion of the royal family of Mysore and former MP, said this morning that the 1563 acres and 31 guntas of ‘B’-Kharab lands at the foot of Chamundi Hill are the private properties of the Palace.
Addressing a media conference at the Palace, She demanded that the area be surveyed and whatever unoccupied land remains, be handed over to the Wadiyars after issuing Khata in the name of the royal family.
“Till the framing of the Constitution of India and the nation becoming a republic, the then Maharaja was the supreme authority of the landed property coming under the State of Mysore and hence, his descendants are the rightful owners of the property,” said Pramoda Devi and added that the recent contention made by MLC G. Madhusudan, stating that the said land belonged to the State government, has been made without having proper knowledge about the matter.
She also deplored the statement made by former DC Harsha Gupta that the said land was ‘B’ Kharab and said that he too did not have adequate knowledge about the lands as it was directly inherited by Srikanta Datta Narasimharaja Wadiyar from his father Jayachamarajendra Wadi-yar, with the consent of his sisters who did not seek a share in this particular property. Jayacha-marajendra Wadiyar had declared his assets in 1950 and had distributed them among his family members then.
“Some portions of the lands were acquired by the civic authorities for creation of roads and other infrastructure, some areas were made into residential layouts and some pieces were gifted to various people by the Maharaja himself,” said Pramoda Devi.
Pramoda Devi urged that the remaining land that lies vacant — excluding the portions for which genuine Khatas have been issued earlier — be surveyed, Khata issued in the name of the descendants of the royal family and taxes affixed accordingly.
“We have been urging the authorities concerned to do this (issue Khata for the Palace property) since the past 18 years. However, none of the governments have cooperated,” she said and suspected political ill-will behind the inaction.
Wadiyar’s sisters Indrakshi Devi and Vishalakshi Devi, who were elsewhere in the Palace, were called in later to the media conference to prove their consent over the sisters not seeking shares in their brother’s property.
source: http://www.StarofMysore.com / General News / August 21st, 2012