Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that the state government would find ways to put the Rushikonda Palace to use after seeking opinions of the people of the state.
Addressing the media after visiting the Rushikonda Palace built by the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government on 61 acres land under Yendada village limits in Visakhapatnam, he said that the entire structure built on the direction of the then chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy violated all the laws of the land concerned.
“I have not seen a Chief Minister destroying the environment to build a palace to fulfil his whims and fancies. Now, some heartbreaking facts are coming out. Earlier, no one, including the media, was allowed to visit the construction site. It was a highly guarded secret. The YCP government also misled and misguided the National Green Tribunal, the Supreme Court and the High Court,” Naidu pointed out.
Attributing this to the power of democracy, he said that people gave this power to him by electing the TDP-led NDA alliance in the recent elections.
He further said that Rushikonda was one of the most scenic places in Vizag. He said that sages used to meditate on these hills.
“Now, they have built these palaces with every room with a view of the sea. Only kings and emperors in the past built this kind of lavish structure. I do not think even the President of India’s palace has such a huge corridor as the Rushikonda Palace,” he said.
The CM said that he became emotional and was perturbed after witnessing the scale of lavishness that the past government had splurged on the Palace.
“Rs 36 lakh were spent on a bathtub, fancy fans, and out-of-the-world chandeliers were installed. Marble was imported. I have visited many countries and dignitaries, but I never saw such lavishness in my long political life,” he added.
He recalled that the YCP leaders were saying that the palace was built for the President of India and the Prime Minister.
He said that they stayed at the Navy Guest House of the Eastern Naval Command and even those facilities were humble.
The Chief Minister opined that the government could have spent Rs 400 crore on the completion of projects in northern Andhra Pradesh.
“They could have filled the potholes and repaired roads with that money,” he pointed out.
