The Kerala government has cancelled a Public Works Department order for renovation and repair works costing more than Rs 1 crore at Cliff House, the official residence of Chief Minister VD Satheesan, after concerns were raised over spending public money on the property.
Satheesan directed the PWD to withdraw the order immediately and sought an urgent report from the department’s secretary on how the sanction was issued without informing him or the Chief Minister’s Office. The move places the administrative process behind the renovation proposal under review, even as the government has allowed essential maintenance to continue.
According to the report, Satheesan had instructed officials when he assumed office that unnecessary renovation or construction work should not be undertaken at Cliff House. The latest directive reinforces that position by restricting work at the residence to essential renovation and maintenance requirements.
The PWD told the government that the order was issued as part of a safety audit initiated in 2022. However, the chief minister directed officials not to proceed with works based on estimates prepared during the previous government’s tenure. The department will now have to explain how the estimates were converted into a sanctioned order and why the chief minister’s office was not informed before the order was issued.
The episode highlights the administrative separation between preparing technical estimates and approving expenditure on government buildings. Safety audits can identify repair requirements, but the subsequent decision to sanction work involves questions of scope, priority and public spending. In this case, the government has drawn a distinction between safety-related or essential maintenance and broader renovation or beautification work.
Cliff House is a state government property used as the chief minister’s official residence, making expenditure on the premises subject to public scrutiny. The cancellation comes amid concerns over the need for restraint in spending on official residences and other government buildings. The order, its estimates and the exact scope of the proposed works were not detailed in the supplied report.
The PWD secretary’s report is expected to clarify the process through which the renovation order was issued, the role of the 2022 safety audit and the basis for the proposed expenditure. Until that report is submitted, the government’s stated position is that only essential maintenance and renovation works should be undertaken at Cliff House.
