Rushikonda cottages' demolition kicks up row

Oppn suspects some political move behind the decision to construct a five star deluxe beach resort

Visakhapatnam: THE redevelopment of Harita Beach Resorts at the city's popular beachfront area of Rushikonda by demolishing the existing cottages has stirred up a storm with Telugu Desam Party and other Opposition parties decrying the decision.

Heavy earth moving equipment and vehicles were deployed since Monday to ravage the sea-facing cottages to the ground, popular among domestic and foreign tourists for the breathtaking view of the blue waters of Bay of Bengal, the green-capped hillocks and the chirpy sound of several species of birds. Tenders were finalised sometime ago to complete construction of the new blocks within 15 months.

"This is another maverick decision by the YSR Congress Government. What is the need to ravage the popular cottages in such a hurry without consulting anyone," remarked TDP State vice-president and former Minister Bandaru Satyanarayana Murthy. He told Bizz Buzz that they are suspecting some political move behind the decision to construct a five star deluxe beach resort. He said there is no justification in constructing a new one in place of old cottages which earned nearly Rs 30 crore-revenue.

Jana Sena and Left parties have also condemned the decision saying there is no justification behind demolition of the existing cottages.

A senior official of AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) said as part of promoting Visakhapatnam as a prominent tourist rendezvous, the government has decided to construct new blocks with several amenities.

Scoffing at Opposition propaganda, Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao said five star plus category resorts with world-class facilities are being developed at Rushikonda. The new complex will have a built-up area of 47,764 sft. The government had built 34 rooms during 1984-89 and another block in the second phase with 24 rooms, cafetaria and conference hall during 2002-07.

The project envisages construction of a built-up area of 2.14 lakh sft with several new facilities at a cost of Rs 164 crore. The Minister scoffed at Opposition criticism that a new site could have been chosen for construction of resorts as proposed by the government and said it will become a favourite spot for tourists as it is a marvellous location, considered one of the best destinations for leisure tourists. It is also very convenient to reach the place from GMR International Airport with plans to construct a beach corridor connecting the city with Bhogapuram. Stating that the Opposition was spreading lies on the old resorts, Rao said once construction is over, the new resort will fetch a revenue of Rs.50 crore instead of Rs 7.2 crore from the old resorts.