Ahead of the shift of the government machinery and the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam, the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department has readied four buildings at Rushikonda Hill facing the sea shore. The palatial buildings are named after Vijayanagara, Gajapathi, Kalinga and Vengi— the dynasties that once ruled the land.
These buildings, among others, are most likely to be used as the official or residential facilities of the top government functionaries, according to sources in the government.
For the record, the State government has decided to shift the Executive Capital (Secretariat) from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam as part of its decentralisation exercise. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, while inaugurating the Infosys Development Centre in Visakhapatnam on October 16 (Monday), said that he was supposed to shift to the city but will be making the move in that direction before December.
In the backdrop of multiple cases in different courts on the shift and decentralisation of administration, the government has decided to develop the North Andhra region and have a temporary transit facility in Visakhapatnam for the CMO and top functionaries in the Secretariat. A committee was appointed a few days ago to locate the appropriate buildings for the purpose.
Branded as the ‘high-end luxury retreat’, the buildings were constructed in about two acres while the total existing flat landscape on Rushikonda Hill is about 61 acres. Another three blocks are expected to be built but the entire construction will be limited to about ten acres as per the plan, according to a statement from the Tourism Department.
Reacting to the environmental concerns and cases, the government has stated that the project was taken up as a prestigious one and several politically motivated cases were filed by different entities in various courts. However, the government is stated to have obtained all the necessary clearances for the project.
‘Clearances obtained’
“The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has obtained all relevant clearances accordingly. The clearances from Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climatic Change, Andhra Pradesh Coastal Zone Management Authority, building plan and fire approvals from Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), Forest Department for cutting trees, consent for the establishment from Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, etc. have been secured,” the Tourism Department said.
This apart, the Tourism Department is stated to have planted about 50,000 plants of local species, creepers and hedge plants to ensure green facade, ambience and vegetation in the vicinity.
