CHITRADURGA: With no end in sight to long delays in converting former Karnataka chief minister Siddavanahalli Nijalingappa’s house in Chitradurga into a memorial, the family members of the first CM of linguistic state have decided to put the palatial house on sale.
SN, as he was fondly called, had an illustrious — if fraught — political career both on national and state arenas. He was CM of the state from 1956 to 1958 and 1962 to 1968. The statesman passed away in August 2000.
Sources in the S Nijalingappa Memorial Trust said a fund of Rs 5 crore had been sanctioned three years ago. The govt had directed the district deputy commissioner to buy the residence at a cost of Rs 4.18 crore and develop a museum at a cost of Rs 82 lakh. It had released Rs 2 crore in the first instalment.
Family sources said Nijalingappa has six daughters and three sons; of them, two sons are unmarried. The other son, Kiran Shankar, has two children, who are in the US. The now-vacant bungalow’s upkeep has become a challenge for Kiran Shankar, who is now in Bengaluru.
No clear guidance yet, says DCNijalingappa willed the 15,000-sqft property, ‘Vinay Nivas’, to Kiran Shankar’s son Vinay. The house built in 1939 stands next to the deputy commissioner’s office in Chitradurga.
Kiran Shankar told TOI : “We waited for five y ears for our house to become a memorial. The govt cites ‘technical delays’. Despite attending multiple meetings with the Chitradurga district administration about property transfer to the govt, nothing materialised. Hence, we’ve decided to put it on sale and posted notices on social media for interested buyers,” Kiran Shankar said. One purported ad quotes the market price of the single-storey property standing on 117x130ft at Rs 10 crore.
Chitradurga deputy commissioner T Venkatesh said the nub of the issue is the unregistered will, which requires probate in civil court – in other words, a court has to issue a document confirming a will’s validity and establishing the executor’s actions. Since Vinay has a sister, the district administration has sought govt legal opinion, but hasn’t received any clear guidance yet. “We’ve sought additional legal opinion and communicated with the govt. Upon clarification, we shall proceed,” the DC said.
Former MLC Mohan Kondajji said no govt shows interest in turning the house into a memorial.
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