Rest houses under the Public Works Department in the State have been upgraded with modern facilities and made available for the public, Public Works Minister G. Sudhakaran has said. He was inaugurating the new and renovated buildings of the PWD rest house at Kallissery, near Chengannur, on Thursday.
Mr. Sudhakaran said that revenue from the rest houses had increased to ₹16 crore from ₹2 crore five years ago. “We have introduced uniforms for rest house employees. Steps have also been taken to keep rooms clean and tidy,” the Minister said.
The facility at Kallissery was renovated at a cost of ₹2.75 crore. It has 15 rooms, including one suite room, conference hall, pantry area, and two car porches.
Inaugurating the PWD rest house at Karumadi, Mr. Sudhakaran said the revenue from rest houses in the State would touch ₹25 crore. “There are 200 rest houses in the State. Of these, 25 are newly constructed. A combined 3,000 rooms are available in these rest houses,” he said.
The rest house at Karumadi is situated close to Musavari Bungalow, which had hosted Mahatma Gandhi. As part of conserving the old building, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi will be installed there at a cost of ₹3.44 crore. The Karumadi facility has six rooms, including two VIP rooms, kitchen, dining room, office room, lobby, and conference hall.
