Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh hints at use of ‘Rushikonda Palace’ as MICE Centre

Government considers repurposing opulent Rushikonda Palace as MICE Centre to boost tourism revenue, hinting at efficient public use.

The government is considering using the complex of structures atop Rushikonda as a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) Centre, Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh has hinted.

The previous YSRCP government had demolished an APTDC resort atop Rushikonda in 2021 to build an opulent complex of structures at a huge cost to the public exchequer. Then Tourism Minister R.K. Roja had said that the complex, which came to be dubbed as the ‘Rushikonda Palace’ owing to its ultra-luxurious facilities, would be used as a camp office for then Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy who was keen on shifting the capital of the State to Visakhapatnam.

Ever since the current government headed by the TDP-BJP-JSP alliance came to power after routing the YSRCP in the 2024 elections, it has been mulling over ways to put the complex to efficient public use.

Participating in the Regional Tourism Investors’ Meet in the city on Monday, Mr. Durgesh hinted at the possibility of using the complex to boost tourism. “Some buildings in this region were destroyed, causing a dent in tourism revenue. We will consider if the structures built in their place can be used as a MICE Centre,” he said.

During his last visit to Visakhapatnam, IT Minister Nara Lokesh had opined that the maintenance of the Rushikonda Palace would put immense financial strain on the government, and said that it could be converted into a public museum which would serve as a constant reminder to the people on how public money was misused by the YSRCP government.

Incidentally, Mr. Lokesh was in Visakhapatnam on Monday in connection with a defamation case he had lodged in the district court against a Telugu newspaper for publishing ‘adverse reports’ against him. When reporters sought his views on what could be done with the ‘palace’, Mr. Lokesh said people should be allowed access to it, adding that the revenue thus generated could help in the structure’s upkeep.