The palatial bungalow built atop the picturesque beach-front Rushikonda Hills in Visakhapatnam by the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led government, has turned out to be a white elephant for the newly formed Andhra Pradesh government, headed by N Chandrababu Naidu.
₹680 crore. (HT Photo)” title=”The Rushikonda Palace in Visakhapatnam is spread over 9.88 acres, and was reportedly built at a cost of ₹680 crore. (HT Photo)” />The ultra-modern complex, spread over 9.88 acres and comprising seven blocks, was originally projected to be developed as a luxurious tourist resort. But, at the time of the palace’s inauguration on February 29, then tourism minister RK Roja said it could be used for accommodating residence-cum-camp office of Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Apparently, Jagan wanted to shift his residence and office to the palace and operate from Visakhapatnam, which he declared as the executive capital of the state, once the YSR Congress Party returned to power for the second consecutive term in the assembly elections held in May.
However, the election results shattered Jagan’s plans to shift his residence to Rushikonda Palace. The YSR Congress Party lost power to the Telugu Desam Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the recent assembly elections. The YSRCP only got 11 out of 175 assembly seats, with the NDA winning the remaining 164 seats.
The palatial complex, which the common public could not get access to, came into the limelight on June 16, when local TDP MLA and former minister Ganta Srinivas Rao led a delegation of officials and media persons to Rushikonda to expose what is inside the buildings.
“It’s simply mind-boggling. The ultra-expensive facilities clearly indicated that Jagan wanted to rule the state like a monarch from this palace. This is certainly not meant for any tourists,” Srinivasa Rao said.
Going by the visuals and details of the palace released by the TDP following the MLA’s visit, the Rushikonda palatial complex looks much more than a five-star hotel.
Flooring with imported granite, 200 chandeliers, each costing up to ₹15 lakh, cosy interiors designed at a cost of ₹33 crore, imported furniture, spa, jacuzzis and spacious washrooms with commodes each costing ₹15 lakh, landscaping with exotic imported plants and grass, advanced sound system, a humongous home theatre screen, multi-hued illumination are among some of the features of this mansion.
The estimated expenditure to build the palace was around ₹500 crore. However, the total expenditure crossed ₹680 crore, including the cost of landscaping, illumination, roads and security arrangements, an official familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity. “The total built-up area of the Rushikonda complex is 19,968 square meters,” he said.
What will happen to the palace?
According to TDP official spokesman G Deepak Reddy, the palatial bungalow on Rushikonda hills is nothing but a white elephant for the government, as there is no way it can be used for official purposes or tourism purposes.
The newly-built palatial complex was built after demolishing an earlier tourism resort being run by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC). The original resort had 58 rooms, a conference hall and a bar-cum-restaurant in a total area of 4,439 square meters.
“It was the most sought-after tourism resort with a beautiful sea view. This was demolished by the Jagan government in the name of constructing a more luxurious tourism complex in 9.88 acres,” the TDP leader said.
As per the environmental clearance given by the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) on May 19, 2021, which was reviewed by HT, the previous Jagan government had not mentioned it as a residential-cum-camp office of the chief minister, but only as a tourism project.
It said the proposed project would comprise private luxury villas, beach facing suites, master suites, guest suites, dining spaces, cafeterias, gymnasium, swimming pools, banquet halls, security spaces, front desk and back offices, services areas and kitchens. “The remaining area will be used for parking and landscaping and future expansion,” the MoEF said in its letter.
“But what was actually built on Rushikonda was a residential-cum-official complex with just 12 rooms and the remaining being official chambers and conference halls. The previous government indulged in massive splurging of public money to construct a lavish bungalow and office for Jagan,” Reddy said.
Since Naidu had declared Amaravati as the state’s, the new Andhra chief minister wouldn’t be operating from Rushikonda Palace in Visakhapatnam. “So, it cannot be continued as an official residence-cum-camp office of Naidu. It cannot be continued as a tourism resort either, as there are only 12 rooms and so, the resort is not financially viable, even if the tariff is fixed at ₹1 lakh per day,” the TDP leader said.
“In fact, the maintenance cost of the palace and the landscaping around it would cost a bomb for the government,” he added.
Former minister from Visakhapatnam and YSRCP leader Gudivada Amarnath said the Rushikonda Palace was not a personal property of Jagan. “The government is a continuous process. It is for the new government to use it appropriately,” he said.
He suggested that the palace could also be used for accommodating VIPs like Prime Minister, President and any other foreign dignitaries whenever they visit Visakhapatnam.
However, Deepak Reddy said the Prime Minister and the President would stay in the guest houses of the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam due to stringent security reasons, not in beachfront palaces. “Moreover, is it necessary to construct such an expensive palace for the VIPs who hardly come to Visakhapatnam, not even once a year?” he asked.
The government also cannot lease it out to as a hotel, because of the less number of rooms. “If they want to do any modifications in the palatial complex to create more rooms, they would have to demolish some structures again, which disturbs the entire ecosystem there,” the TDP leader said.
State information technology minister Nara Lokesh said the government was seized of the Rushikonda palace issue. “We shall take an appropriate decision soon on how to make use of the palace,” he added.
