Order for ₹1 crore repair work at Chief Minister's residence Cliff House cancelled

Chief Minister of Kerala V.D. Satyanarayanan has directed the cancellation of an order exceeding ₹1 crore issued for the maintenance of his official residence, Cliff House. The Chief Minister has instructed the Public Works Secretary to cancel the order and submit an urgent report on the matter. An investigation will be conducted into how this order was issued without the knowledge of the Chief Minister or his office.

When the United Democratic Front (UDF) came to power, the Chief Minister had given clear instructions that no unnecessary beautification or construction work would be undertaken at Cliff House. He had previously instructed that no work be carried out based on estimates prepared during the tenure of the previous government and clarified that only essential repairs should be undertaken.

According to the clarification provided by the department regarding this matter, the order was issued as part of a safety audit prepared since the year 2022. However, as this order was issued in disregard of the Chief Minister's instructions, an explanation has now been sought from the Secretary.

The Chief Minister had previously directed that only extremely necessary repairs should be carried out, but since the order for this work exceeding ₹1 crore was issued without his knowledge, the entire process is now being investigated. According to a report by The Hindu, a report has been sought from the Secretary to ascertain how this order was passed despite the Chief Minister's office being unaware of it.