Palla Pitches For Tourism Use of Rushikonda Palace
Palla said the palace was built on land belonging to the Tourism Department and was conceived from the outset as a tourism-oriented project
Visakhapatnam: The debate over the future of the Rushikonda palace complex took a fresh turn on Saturday, with Telugu Desam state president Palla Srinivasa Rao urging the government to preserve the structure as a tourism asset.
Speaking to reporters, Palla said the palace was built on land belonging to the Tourism Department and was conceived from the outset as a tourism-oriented project. He argued that diverting the complex for any other purpose would go against both the legal position and the original intent of the project.
Palla stressed that, given its prime coastal location, the palace complex has the potential to significantly boost Visakhapatnam’s tourism profile. Retaining it for tourism, he said, would align with the government’s broader goal of promoting economic growth through leisure and heritage-based initiatives.
He warned that repurposing the structure for administrative use could undermine public confidence and diminish the value of investments already made. The TD leader said preserving the palace as a tourism facility would generate long-term economic benefits while strengthening the city’s standing as a coastal tourism hub.
Palla’s comments come amid an ongoing public debate over whether the Rushikonda complex should be used for administrative functions or retained exclusively for tourism, a discussion that is now expected to intensify.
