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Gayatri Devi’s home comes home
The municipal authorities in Jaipur on Sunday pushed back the boundaries of the late Gayatri Devi’s residential quarters on the orders of the Rajasthan High Court.
The municipal authorities in Jaipur on Sunday pushed back the boundaries of the late Gayatri Devi’s residential quarters on the orders of the Rajasthan High Court.
The frontiers of the erstwhile queen’s home, Lilypool, had expanded into government land.
The luxurious French-style estate is situated on the Rambagh Palace Hotel grounds.
On May 10, the court had ordered the removal of encroachments from the Rambagh complex land, which was acquired by the Jaipur Development (JDA) Authority in 1973.
More than 200 workers, including policemen, worked for three hours to remove the encroachments with the help of bulldozers.
The JDA has now put up fences and signboards to clearly demarcate the boundaries.
“We have not demolished any structure, but simply demarcated our land here,” said Gayatri Rathod, JDA secretary.
Many were questioning the timing of the action, saying the JDA did not talk about the encroachments when Gayatri Devi was alive.
Gayatri Devi, the erstwhile Maharani of Jaipur, died in July last year at the age of 90.
The Lilypool staff staying in the area that falls under the JDA has been given a week’s time to vacate.
Many of those who have been living in the estate for decades are now left homeless.
Goverdhan Singh, a guard who has been serving the royal family for 35 years, was reduced to tears. He is worried about his family of eight.
“When the Rajmata (Gayatri Devi) was alive nobody dared to disturb us. Now, we have to vacate the quarters within seven days. Where can we go in such a short time,” he asked.
