CM Pinarayi Vijayan, family move into Cliff House quietly

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his family moved into Cliff House, the official residence of the CM, here on Saturday morning. The CM arrived at Cliff House along with wife Kamala, daughter T. Veena, grandchildren, other family members and friends at 9.30 am.

True to his Communist lifestyle, there was no “house warming” ceremony at the Cliff House. Even the media, especially TV news channels, were taken by surprise when Mr Pinarayi posted the picture of family taken in front of Cliff House on his official Facebook page .

Though the former CM Oommen Chandy had vacated Cliff House soon after UDF’s defeat in Assembly elections, Mr Pinaryi continued to stay at the party accommodation in front of the AKG Centre as maintenance works were going on at the official residence.

The CM’s official residence used to be a place of embarrassment for several politicians. The former CM preferred to stay at his private residence than occupy Cliff House during his first stint in 2004-06. The then finance minister Vakkom Purshottaman occupied the house during that period.

The late CM E.K. Nayanar, who used to criticise K. Karunakaran for constructing a swimming pool at Cliff House, joked he would bathe his dog there if he ever happened to occupy the House. Constructed during the monarchy days of Travancore, it was the residence of Diwan Peshkar (secretary of the state). In post Independence period it was taken over by the PWD and refurnished into a state guest house.

After the formation of the state in 1957, the first chief minister E.M.S. Namboodiripad chose the house as his official residence. Rose House used to be the residence of CMs of Travancore and Kochi. The entire Cliff House premises is 4.2 acres and the two storied building constructed in traditional Kerala architecture with shades of British style, has 15,000 sq ft area and seven bedrooms.

A large part of land is used for farming which began during Nayanar’s tenure. Karunakaran and wife  had interest in vegetable cultivation, while A.K. Antony loved banana plantation farming. During Mr Chandy’s tenure Cliff House farm set a record of sorts set harvesting two varieties of ash gourds weighing 25 and 21 kg. Normally it is 1 kg to 1.5 kg.

The large area had ivy gourd (kovakka) green chilli, ginger, yam, spinach, cauliflower and more. Mr Chandy’s wife Mariamma Oommen even reared pets; five guinea fowls, 10 chickens, five ornamental ducks, turkey, two dwarf goats and a new born calf.