AP CM’s new residence coming up at Rushikonda: Botsa

Visakhapatnam is all set to become executive capital of Andhra Pradesh and the Chief Minister's official residence will be located on the picturesque Rushikonda

Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam is all set to become executive capital of Andhra Pradesh and the Chief Minister’s official residence will be located on the picturesque Rushikonda, according to Education Minister Botsa Satyanarayana.

Talking to reporters here on Thursday, the Minister who reacted to criticism by the opposition with regard to the YSR Congress Party president’s review of the `Gadapa Gadapaku’ (door to door) programme, explained that it was not `overzealousness’ as they dubbed it. “Why can’t we have all the 175 Assembly seats as target? We have fulfilled all our pre-poll promises. Only a couple of issues like that of the employees are pending,” he said.

---

Alleging that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was organising the Maha Padayatra in the garb of Amaravati farmers, the minister said he was at a loss to know how they could take out a rally to North Andhra to say Visakhapatnam should not be the capital. “What did the TDP leaders do for Vizag? This city was developed only during the regime of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy who built VIMS, Health City, Pharma City, IT SEZ, private port and others. The TDP leaders only looted funds with fake figures during the Hud Hud cyclone. When compensation was sought, they said the records were lost,” he recalled.

Regarding construction of a guest house at Rushikonda, the minister asked what was wrong in locating the Chief Minister’s official residence or government offices there. “All environmental issues would be addressed by the government. We are not building a church or mosque there and government buildings can come up on any government land, not necessarily where the previous buildings existed,” he argued, and said he would himself show the construction work that is in progress to the opposition if they so desired.

On a statement made by Telangana Minister T Harish Rao, the minister said Rao was welcome to bring teachers to Andhra Pradesh and find out for himself the fitments and PRC given to them.