Even as the Andhra Pradesh government headed by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu is struggling to find an answer to how to make use of the opulent Rs 450-crore Rushikonda palace in Visakhapatnam, an interesting discussion is doing rounds on social media.
Naidu described the palatial bungalow as a “criminal waste” of public money as it cannot be used for tourism purpose.
The tourists, even if they are from abroad, cannot stay there and make use of ultra-modern features like Rs 36-lakh bathtubs and Rs 16-lakh auto-wash commodes, as it is too costly to afford the tariff.
According to the talk going on in the social media circles, the state government is contemplating leasing out this extravagant palace to the US Consulate to establish its US Visa Application Centre.
US Consul General Rebekah Drame recently revealed that the United States is considering setting up a Visa Application Centre in either Visakhapatnam or Vijayawada.
With Telugu-speaking students comprising 52% of Indian students at US universities, the move aims to ease access to visa services for the region’s youth.
This led to the speculation that the government might offer the Rushikonda Palace to the US Consulate authorities for this purpose.
According to one section of the social media groups, the strategic location of Rushikonda Palace could serve the youth from North Andhra, the twin Godavari districts, and parts of Odisha, reducing reliance on visa centres in Chennai and Bengaluru.
Another section argues that it would be better if the US Visa Application Centre is established either in Vijayawada or Amaravati, which is centrally located.
However, there has been no official proposal yet from the state government or a request for the same from the US authorities.