Curious onlookers are often seen peering into the godown of the Aluva tourist guest house. The object of curiosity is a 1998 Mercedes E class Benz that stands unused.
What makes this car the subject of interest?
This is a car used by three times Chief Minister of Kerala, E K Nayanar, when he became the Chief Minister for the third time. And, he used the car for three years.
Nayanar was known to have used an ambassador car for years, but switched to the 1998 Mercedes when he developed a heart problem. In a state where frugality is the watchword of politics, the choice to switch to a luxury car reportedly made news at the time.
In 2001, when the Congress ministry took over, this particular car was only used for transporting VVIPs.
Until 2006 the car was in Thiruvananthapuram. Governors, union ministers and many other VVIPs used the car when they visited Kerala. The car was often used to pick up and drop VVIPs from Thiruvananthapuram airport. In 2007 it was brought to the Aluva tourism department guest house, since then it has been used in Kochi when VVIPs visited.
In 2012, the vehicle was set aside because it required some repair works, which would cost around Rs 5 lakh. The unused vehicle has been standing in the godown since then and the tourist department has decided to auction the car for Rs 2 lakh. To this end, an auction was organised in January 2017, but there were no takers for the car.
Officers at the guest house believe that the high cost of repair for an old used car is why people might not be interested. But they still plan to organise two more auctions, hoping someone will come forward to claim the now abandoned vehicle. However, there is no dearth of audience for the classic car.
“No one has shown interest in buying the car, but we will keep it for some more time. Some repair works are there, may be that is why people are not interested. We usually auction the old vehicles that ministers have used,” an officer of the guest house said.