Utilisation of Rushikonda palace a daunting task for NDA govt in State

Visakhapatnam : When the extravagant ‘palace’ was built amidst picturesque Rushikonda hills by the YSRCP government, albeit in a discreet manner, little did the successor alliance government in Andhra Pradesh expect that it would have to deal with a horrendous task of putting the lavish place to use.

Built at a whopping budget of about Rs 500 crore, it has now become a challenging exercise for the alliance government over converting it into a viable project without infusing further investment into the most expensive ‘tourism’ project as projected by the previous government.

Even as the YSRCP was confident about retaining power in AP for the second consecutive term, the 2024 polls, however, had something else in store for the party. With 11 Assembly seats to its credit, Jagan Mohan Reddy’s well-laid out plan to shift to Rushikonda palace failed to take off.

According to a senior YSRCP leader, the palace was built for Jagan Mohan Reddy to get shifted once he wins in the 2024 elections as he intended to make Visakhapatnam as the executive capital. “The seven blocks at Rushikonda were meant to serve different purposes. A couple of them were dedicated to his family members,” the YSRCP leader shares on condition of anonymity.

After the alliance government came to power, Bheemunipatnam MLA Ganta Srinivasa Rao broke the suspense over the much-hushed up project by opening the gates of the palatial palace for the public and media in the month of June. The plush interiors of the imposing blocks did take one’s breath away. Going by the tastefully done interiors, it’s quite apparent that the palace was meant for the CM’s bungalow.

In his recent meetings, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu mentioned that he is yet to decide on the utilisation purpose of the palatial palace. Apparently, the alliance government remains clueless about converting the project into a viable one as it was not redefined.

Although suggestions are trickling in from various quarters about utilising some of the blocks for the VVIPs’ stay, convention centre, Ganta Srinivasa Rao says, the State government is likely to mull over the possibility of converting the project into a tourist spot on similar lines of Falaknuma palace in Hyderabad. However, the Chief Minister will take a final call on it, the MLA adds.

With the maintenance cost of the palace turning out to be exorbitant, the biggest challenge for the alliance government is to define its purpose and make use of it appropriately.