No luxury and extravaganza; No need to embellish Cliff House and ministerial mansions

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief minister designate V D Satheesan has directed the general administration department not to carry out luxury renovations at Cliff House, the official residence of the chief minister. He directed that only minor repair works are necessary and that no huge amount should be spent on refurbishing the residence. He also directed that ministers’ official residences should not undergo expensive makeovers.

Cliff House, the official residence of the chief minister, has been a name that has been heard in controversies during the ten-year rule of the Pinarayi Vijayan government. The residence has seven bedrooms and spans 15,000 square feet. It also includes an office room, a conference hall, and two smaller buildings inside the compound for security personnel and attendants. The total Cliff House compound covers 4.2 acres.

During the Left Democratic Front government’s tenure, renovation works at Cliff House, including upgrades to the swimming pool, had sparked major controversy amid the state’s financial crisis. Public remarks by former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan about severe nuisance of civets at Cliff House and ministers’ residences had also drawn attention.

Between May 2016, when the Pinarayi government assumed office, and November 14, 2022, a total of Rs 31.92 lakh was reportedly spent on the swimming pool alone at Cliff House. The decision to allocate Rs 25.50 lakh for constructing a lift at the residence had also triggered criticism.