A view of the structures built at Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam. File | Photo credit: KR DEEPAK
The Andhra Pradesh government is mulling several options to utilize the flamboyant buildings built atop Rushikonda during the YSRCP period in a way that would benefit the public while generating sustainable revenue for the tourism department, ministers Payyavula Keshav, Kandula Durgesh and DBV Swamy said on Tuesday.
The ministers were speaking after the second meeting of a sub-committee set up to examine the future use of the buildings, which were constructed with a previous permission, allegedly for use as the official residence of the then Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The meeting was attended by Special Principal Secretary Tourism Ajay Jain, MD Tourism and CEO APTA Amrapali Kata and senior officials. The committee reviewed public and stakeholder feedback collected through the Department of Tourism’s website.
Officials told ministers that 1,517 members of the public and 44 stakeholders shared their views. Most of them urged the government to urgently correct what they described as the mistakes of the previous regime and ensure public use of the property. Proposals included turning the “palace” into a hotel or resort, museum, art gallery, wellness center, MICE facility, scientific planetarium, or even government offices.
Ministers criticized the previous government for replacing revenue-generating resorts with a palace-like structure spread over nearly 20,000 square meters, leading to a monthly maintenance cost of ₹25-30 lakh. They said institutions like Tata, IHCL and Atmosphere Core along with some foreign firms have offered proposals.
The sub-committee said another meeting would be held soon after which two or three options would be placed before the Cabinet for a final decision, after consultation with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Published – 16 Dec 2025 21:09 IST
