An opulent mansion built by the previous YSR Congress government atop a hillock at the picturesque Rushikonda beach in Visakhapatnam is now at the center of a political storm with the change of guard in Andhra Pradesh.
The leaders of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which stormed to power in the recent assembly elections, have alleged that the luxury complex, constructed in flagrant violation of the environmental laws, stands testimony to the greed and self-aggrandisement of the former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who splurged public money to build the Rs 500 crore mansion for personal use.
A question mark hangs over the future of the ultra-modern complex comprising three buildings with a built-up area of 1.41 lakh square meters. It was built in an ecologically fragile area by carrying out excavations and constructions beyond the area permitted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Ostensibly, the complex was meant to house the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) once the capital was shifted to Visakhapatnam, as per the YSRCP government’s plan. However, Jagan’s push for establishing three capital cities—Visakhapatnam as the executive capital, Kurnool as the judicial capital and Amaravati as the legislative capital—did not succeed as it hit the legal hurdles. The case is pending with the Supreme Court.
With the TDP returning to power, the Amaravati dream will be revived. The Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has assured that Amaravati would be developed as the sole capital of AP. As a result, the fate of Rushikonda mansion hangs in balance.
Under the Rushikonda development project, seven super-structures were built in an area of 9.88 acres. A three-member IAS officers’ committee set up by the YSRCP Government had earlier recommended the resorts as the best option from a security point of view and strategic location for housing the CMO. The previous regime spent an estimated Rs 500 crore on demolishing Haritha Beach Resorts owned by AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) and building the mansion.
After the results were out, several supporters of TDP barged into the mansion, which was restricted to visitors, and hoisted their party flag. The Haritha Beach Resort, which used to give a panoramic view of the Bay of Bengal to visitors from all over the world, was quite popular.
Rushikonda beach has been conferred Blue Flag for meeting international standards by Denmark-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). The central government also selected Rushikonda beach for development under the Beach Environment and Aesthetics Management Services (BEAMS) project.
Speaking on the future of new buildings put up at Rushikonda, noted social activist and former IAS officer EAS Sarma lamented that the previous government wrought environmental havoc at Rushikonda violating environmental laws, all at public cost, for the CMO, though clearance was for a tourism structure, which did not stand the test of judicial scrutiny.
“First, they said it was a tourism building and later they said it was meant to be an administrative building. What did they do with Rs 500 crores of public money? The YSRCP leaders were given this contract. Our government will decide what to do with these buildings. Construction estimates for Rushikonda buildings were kept secret by the previous regime”, senior TDP leader Ganta Srinivasa Rao said.
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