The Kerala government is close to sealing a deal with real estate major DLF. The aim is to buy the iconic Aspinwall House in Fort Kochi. The heritage building has long served as the main venue for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
Talks between the two sides had failed earlier. The state had backed out due to price issues. However, recent negotiations have seen some progress.
Documents accessed by the media reveal that a high-level meeting was held on February 28. The meeting aimed to advance the acquisition.
Officials from the tourism department, DLF executive director P Ramakrishnan, and Kochi Biennale Foundation CEO Thomas Varghese attended. The session was chaired by tourism secretary K Biju.
An earlier meeting, on 7 January, was chaired by the chief secretary. It had directed the tourism secretary to reopen talks with DLF.
The government has proposed to buy not just Aspinwall House but also the adjoining Cabral Yard. DLF owns both properties.
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DLF had quoted a fair value of ₹86.38 crore. After talks, the price was reduced to ₹78.93 crore. The proposal will now be sent to the chief minister for final approval.
The minutes of the meeting show that the DLF representative was asked to put the proposal before the company’s board. A reply is expected soon.
DLF was earlier in talks with other potential buyers. One of them was the Indian Coast Guard. This had sparked protests from several political leaders, including Kochi mayor M Anilkumar.
He and others felt that handing over the site to a central security agency would harm the cultural identity of Fort Kochi. They argued the public had a right to preserve it for cultural events.
The government’s fresh push also comes ahead of the Biennale’s next edition. It will be held from 12 December 2025 to 31 March 2026.
To speed things up, the state has asked for a quick valuation. The Ernakulam district collector, chief engineer of PWD (Buildings), and local revenue officers have been asked to report within two weeks.
For now, steps are being taken to lease the property to the Biennale Foundation for the 2025 event.
DLF bought the 2.44-acre Aspinwall House and the 1.26-acre Cabral Yard years ago. The earlier talks with the government had failed as DLF raised the price.
If the deal is finalised, it will end years of doubt. It will also ensure that the Biennale has a permanent home under public ownership.
Such a move would be a major step in protecting Kerala’s global cultural identity.
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