AGARTALA, June 11 (TIWN): Challenging the historical verdict of the state’s lower court over the Neermahal and Rudrasagar Lake in favour of Maharani Bibhu Kumari Devi, Tripura Government on Wednesday decided to move to the High Court to appeal this issue, said State Revenue Minister Badal Chowdhury.

Talking to the reporters here at the civil secretariat Chowdhury said, “We have all necessary documents and papers related to the property ownership and with all these we would move to the HC soon challenging the verdict of the lower division court.”

A meeting was held at secretariat among the officials of the state Revenue Department with senior members, who witnessed the 1974 agreement, remaining present at Minister’s cabin.

Denying to the allegations against the State Govt. over illegally acquiring the Neer Mahal and Rudrasagar Chowdhury said, “The Neermahal was handed over to the Marxist government in 1974 by the then Maharaja Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya.”

“But after the year 2006 there erupted a major change among the royal families and also lots of changes has come in the gap from 1974 to 2006,” Chowdhury said to the reporters.

However, but it is worthy to mention here that despite the state Left-Front Government on its ambitious plan had decided to renovate the palace with an aim to attract the tourists, as it is one of the historical stain in Tripura, Bibhu Devi served a notice to the government to hand over the Neermahal and Rudrasagar as they failed to take proper care of these properties.

As the government claimed these as their own properties and did not pay any attention to the notice, Bibhu Devi filed a case in Civil Court in 2008.

However, later hearing the case the lower division court recently ordered to hand over the land to the royal family. The court also asked the state government to pay a compensation of Rs. 25 lakhs annually with 6 per cent interest since 1974.

Chowdhury on Wednesday acting optimistic said, “We have all documents with us which highlighted that the then king of Tripura had handed over the palace and Rudrasagar to the State Govt.”

Tripura's last king Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur built the majestic palace Neermahal in 1930 in the midst of Rudrasagar lake as his summer residence. The union forest and environment ministry had earlier declared Rudrasagar a national lake.