VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has strongly criticised the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) for claiming that demolition orders issued by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) do not apply to it as a government entity.
The court rejected this argument, calling it ‘strange’ and clarifying that all government bodies are subject to the law.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Dheeraj Singh Thakur and Justice R Raghunandan Rao observed that no authority is above the law, regardless of its position.
The court advised AP Tourism Development Corporation to shed the misconception that it is exempt from legal provisions, terming such a stance as unfortunate.
The issue relates to unauthorised constructions undertaken under the name ‘Bay Watch Restaurant’ near Thotlakonda in Kapuluppada village of Bheemunipatnam mandal in Visakhapatnam district.
The court declared the entertainment and hotel structures, built in Survey No. 314 without required permissions, as illegal and ordered their removal.
The GVMC commissioner has been directed to implement demolition orders issued on November 19, 2025, within three weeks.
The judgment followed a detailed hearing of two petitions: a Public Interest Litigation filed in 2018 by the Visakhapatnam Town Fisherwomen Dry Fish Cooperative Society, and a petition filed by APTDC in 2026 challenging the demolition orders.
The court dismissed APTDC’s plea, noting that it failed to produce valid permissions despite multiple opportunities.