Pramodha Stakes Claim To 5,300 Acres Of Land

Appeals to authorities not to declare 6 villages as revenue villages

- SHIVA KUMAR @Mysore

Hundreds of families who have tirelessly worked for the past 56 years to clean bushes and remove boulders to till the land and make it fertile are now shattered, as the Mysore Royal Family has claimed ownership of around 5,300 acres of land in about six villages.

These barren lands have turned into developed farms with coconut and areca plantations, and farmers are harvesting bumper turmeric, banana, and other horticulture crops, adopting drip irrigation, and tapping underground water.

These villages falling on either side of the national highway have awakened after Pramodha Devi Wadiyar claimed ownership of the land in around seven survey numbers in Siddaiahanapura, Athigulipura, Haradanahalli, Buddithitta, Karadihalla, Kinakere and Umathur villages.

Pramodhadevi Wadiyar has appealed not to declare these villages as Revenue villages and urged to issue a 'katha' giving the land ownership to the Mysore Royal Family, claiming that the Union Government and the royal family had agreed on June 6, 1950.

These villagers, who have built their lives from scratch over the decades, are apprehensive. They fear the royal family's petition could lead to legal complications that jeopardize their interests and ownership.