AP Govt forms GoM to decide fate of Jagan’s ₹500-crore Rushikonda mansion

The Andhra Pradesh government has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to recommend ways to utilize the grand mansion built by former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the picturesque Rushikonda area of Visakhapatnam.

The opulent property, spread over more than 10 acres and built at a cost of ₹500 crore, has remained idle ever since the YSRCP lost power and the NDA government led by N. Chandrababu Naidu assumed office.

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The decision came after Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan visited the property and criticised the previous regime for wasting government funds on the project.

The GoM will be headed by Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh, with Finance Minister Payyavula and Social Welfare Minister Dola Sree Bala Veeraanjaneya Swamy as members. It will be convened by the Tourism Secretary, while the Managing Director of AP Tourism will provide necessary support.

According to the government order, the GoM has been tasked to “study and recommend the way forward for proper utilization of the idle resort at Rushikonda.” The committee will submit its recommendations to the government, which will then decide the property’s future.

As chief minister, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had planned to shift the state capital to Visakhapatnam, and the Rushikonda property was constructed to house his residential quarters, office, and conference rooms, after demolishing an existing government tourist resort. The project, with four wings, drew criticism for damaging the fragile ecology of the Rushikonda hills through extensive excavations.

However, following the TDP’s landslide victory in the recent elections, Reddy’s plans were scrapped. With Naidu reviving the Amaravati capital project, the Rushikonda mansion was left unused. The TDP has since highlighted it as an example of Reddy’s wasteful expenditure at a time when the state was reeling from the financial strain of bifurcation.