VISAKHAPATNAM: Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief K Pawan Kalyan said the State government is considering a proposal to convert the Rushikonda buildings into a Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) hub, and a venue for destination weddings.
Speaking after inspecting the Rushikonda buildings on Friday, he said proposals in this regard would be submitted to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu soon, and a decision is expected before the next Assembly session. He observed that Rs 453 crore of public funds were spent on the project.
“The original plan was to construct seven blocks at an estimated cost of Rs 164 crore, but only four blocks were completed at nearly three times more than the projected expenditure by the previous YSRCP regime,” the Deputy CM said.
Pawan Kalyan pointed out that the erstwhile APTDC resorts at Rushikonda generated Rs 7 crore revenue per annum, while the new buildings, which are not in use, consume over Rs 1.5 crore power. During his visit, Pawan Kalyan noted structural issues such as peeling ceilings and water leakage, and directed officials to undertake repairs, and safety audit.
He said the buildings constructed at a huge cost were intended to serve as a residence and office for the then Chief Minister. He alleged that Rs 39 crore was spent on interior decoration alone.
The Deputy CM further alleged that large scale excavation works were carried out, with over 8.48 lakh cubic metres of earth removed, leading to environmental damage.
He noted that cases related to these illegal activities are pending before the NGT, while both the Supreme Court and the High Court had issued directions concerning construction norms at the site.