Puthuppally: Former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy passed on without realising his dream of owning a house at his place, Puthuppally, in Kottayam district of Kerala.
That said, his house at Jagathy in Thiruvananthapuram was a well-known base of his public work.
Chandy had received an acre of land as his share of the family property in Puthuppally village which is part of the eponymous legislative assembly constituency he represented for a record period.
The work for a new house had commenced on this land only recently. At present, just the foundation and a few pillars exist in the plot. He fell ill soon after the work commenced to fulfill the wish of his own house at Puthuppally.
Following the wishes of Chandy’s family to bring his mortal remains to the unfinished house at Puthuppally, necessary arrangements have been made by the authorities in charge and Congress leaders.
“The leader’s body will be brought to the plot situated near the new Community Hall after being kept at Karottuvallakkalil House, Chandy’s ancestral house, for the public to pay homage,” said former district Congress chief Joshy Philip.
Chandy’s final journey would start from his partially constructed house. While Chandy’s younger brother Alex Chandy lives at the ancestral house now, his sister Vatsa stays nearby.
Interestingly, Chandy regularly received letters in Puthuppally even though he did not own a house at the place. The letters were addressed to ‘Oommen Chandy, Puthuppally PO.’ His family members and party leaders in Puthuppally used to pass on the letters to the leader.
