The state government is planning to inaugurate the Rishi Konda project in Visakhapatnam at the earliest. Even as some cases are pending in the state high court, the government plans to move ahead and inaugurate it. It also wants to shift some offices to the new buildings constructed on Rishi Konda.
There are some works still pending on the Rishi Konda. Some buildings are yet to be completed and some of the internal works are pending. There are a few more buildings where interior work is still pending. However, the government wants to inaugurate the project and move there despite the court cases.
The government had spent over Rs 450 crore on Rishi Konda for construction of new buildings. The existing buildings were demolished and the new buildings were constructed on the middle of the hill. One of the buildings is being planned for the use of the chief minister’s camp office.
The state government had already issued two GOs four months ago to shift some government offices to Visakhapatnam to facilitate the chief minister and other ministers to review the development of north Andhra region. The government had proposed that some ministers visit the north Andhra region and hold review meetings for the development of the region.
The state government had spent Rs 240 crore for the construction work, Rs 46 crore for roads and water supply, Rs 8.58 crore for compound wall and Rs 4.20 crore for gardening and greenery on the hill. The state government had spent another Rs 10 crore for soft landing and hard scaping in 10 acres of land through the Andhra Pradesh Urban Greening and Beautification Corporation.
The government is yet to provide furniture for the buildings and others. The officials have provided a road from the helipad at the Rishi Konda beach.
However, it is not known whether the government would use the buildings for the chief minister’s camp office and camp offices for other ministers or lease it to provide companies for maintenance. There is also uncertainty over the use of the project as there is a rumour that the AP Tourism Corporation would use it for maintenance.
