Thiruvananthapuram: The Attingal Municipality's proposal to construct a bus stand at Mamom has run into rough weather following a land ownership dispute with some members of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore.

The row erupted after the Uthram Thirunal Lalithamba Bai and Karthika Thirunal Indira Bai, children of the Regent Senior Maharani, staked claim to 4.75 acres of land earmarked for the bus stand project. The municipality maintains that the land has been in its possession since formation in 1953. It alleges that the whole issue has been raked up by the real estate lobby.

The royal family members on Saturday approached the Chief Minister with a memorandum accusing the municipality of encroachment. They urged the Government to order an inquiry into the false claim raised by the local body.

The memorandum states that a portion of the land had been handed over to the municipality to conduct a cattle market. "Under cover of this temporary permit, the local body is trying to appropriate the land and construct a bus stand. Despite producing ownership documents and tax receipts, the municipality is refusing to sanction a building permit to construct a boundary wall around the property," it states.

Municipal chairman C.J. Rajesh Kumar said the 4.75 acres was part of the 9.7 acres handed over to the Government. "One half of the property was leased out to the Town Improvement Committee that preceded the municipality while the other portion was allotted to the now-defunct Mamom Coconut Complex. We have records to prove that the municipality has been paying the lease amount. It is mysterious that the royal family is not staking claim to the land allotted for the coconut complex."

Mr. Rajesh Kumar alleged that the tax receipts produced by the power of attorney were fabricated. "The Revenue Department cannot accept tax from two sources for the same property," he said. The chairman said he had reasons to suspect the involvement of a lobby trying to torpedo the bus stand project.

Last week, the municipal council adopted a resolution urging the Government to institute a Vigilance inquiry into the issue and take action against officials involved in fabrication of land records.

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