Mysore palace may be run like Buckingham

Noting that the government cannot own everything8217;, the minister said that the Mysore Palace should be considered a public trust property on the lines of Buckingham Palace.

8220;We believe that the Mysore kings were benevolent rulers. They should be treated with respect and not sent out of the palace in their hawai slippers8230;,8221; the Minister said. Members of the royal family would be taken into confidence before coming to a decision, he noted.

Favouring a 8220;via media8221; solution to the issue, Chandre Gowda revealed that officials had been directed to get a copy of the trust deed of England8217;s BuckinghamPalace. 8220;They the Britons are running the Buckingham Palace for hundreds of years without any problem. We should be able to do the same in the case of Mysore Palace,8221; he said.

The government acknowledged the 8220;emotional bondage8221; of Old Mysoreans towards the palace. 8220;Otherwise, the palace would have been taken over at the time of accession, 50 years ago,8221; he pointed out.

Attempts of the previous government to take over the palace came to nought when the High Court directed the state government to pay a compensation of Rs 35 crore to Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar 8211;descendant of the Mysore royal family. The Janata Dal government went on an appeal thereafter.

Chandre Gowda said he would 8220;look into8221; the status of the appeal filed by the state government.