AGARTALA, June 9 (TIWN): The Civil Court on Monday on its historical verdict announced Tripura Lake palace Neer Mahal situated at Rudrasagar Lake to be in the name of royal family from now and has asked the state govt. here to hand over its tourist place of the palace to the royal family according to the 1949 Merger Act. Pointing out the negligence role of the Tripura Left front government over the maintenance of the Palace the court on Monday announced its historical verdict in favour of royal family. According to the 1949 Merger Act, Neer Mahal is the personal property of the Royal family. However, the State Government of Tripura seized it by claiming the responsibility of its renovation. The palace is the largest of its kind in India and the only one in Eastern India. There are only two water palaces in India another one is the Jal Mahal in Rajasthan.It served as the summer resort of the erstwhile King Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur and still draws lakhss of visitors every year despite the poor condition of the lake which has become shallow because of heavy deposit of silt. Court verdict revives the hope that royal family would restore NeerMahal to its earlier glory. Manik Sarkar led CPI-M govt's Melaghar party functionaries already grabbed fertile land behind the palace for brick industry ,which would further destroy the palace.

Tripura's Communist government has drawn up a Rs.50-crore plan to restore the 83-year-old Neermahal, the lone such grand palace in eastern India located in the midst of the vast Rudrasagar Lake. Erstwhile Tripura king Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur had built the Neermahal in 1930 in the midst of Rudrasagar as his summer residence.

With a water area of 364 acres, it is among India's national lakes, located 55 km from Agartala. Originally with an area of 816 hectares, the Rudrasagar Lake has now shrunk due to encroachments, misuse and even the setting up of two brick kilns in the vast complex.