Members of the Zamorin family in Kozhikode have expressed their discontent over a section of people and political parties calling the State government’s decision to sanction a monthly pension to all members of the family as a step back to the era of the “Privy Purse.”
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, representatives of the family said the sanctioned pension (Rs.2,500 to each of the 826 members of the family) was only a pittance compared to the total value of assets attached to the government from the family in the past.
Stating that it was not even fair to call it Privy Purse, considering the meagreness of the pension amount, P.K. Kerala Varma, a family member, said the amount could be considered only as a “rent” for the large extent of its assets attached to the government from time to time. “It is unfortunate that one can say whatever one wants to get applause from the public,” he said.
According to them, there was clear instruction by the Supreme Court to give adequate compensation for whatever land acquired by the government from private parties.
“But nothing of that sort happened in the case of assets taken over by the government from the Zamorin family till date,” said Mr. Varma.
The family members said the decision to grant pension was nothing new and it was only a culmination of a government order issued in 2000 when E.K. Nayanar was the Chief Minister.
The order could not be implemented owing to some “technical errors” in the order.
“One should not mistake the sanctioning of the pension as a boon out of the blue,” he said. Zamorin family members P.C. Ettanunni Raja and Krishna Varma Raja, among others, were present.
