The unusual interest shown by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA from Visakhapatnam (East), Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu, in the restrictions imposed on construction along the Bheemili Beach Road has raised several eyebrows.
On Tuesday, the MLA raised the issue in the Assembly and urged the Chandrababu Naidu government to relax Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) restrictions on the Bheemili Beach Road to promote tourism development.
Ramakrishna Babu said the stretch from Bheemili to Thimmapuram currently falls under CRZ-3 norms, which restrict the construction of buildings taller than nine metres.
He argued that these limitations are hampering tourism growth in the region and called for the area to be reclassified under CRZ-2 norms to allow better infrastructure development.
Pointing out that Visakhapatnam has seen an unprecedented surge in tourist footfall over the past three months, the MLA urged the government to revisit CRZ norms to support tourism-related infrastructure.
He said easing the restrictions would significantly boost the region’s tourism potential and improve facilities for visitors.
However, sources alleged that the TDP MLA raised the issue primarily to benefit former YSR Congress Party general secretary and ex-Rajya Sabha member V Vijay Sai Reddy, who is said to have real estate interests along the Bheemili Beach Road.
Sai Reddy’s daughter, P Neha Reddy, along with her husband Rohit Reddy—whose family owns Aurobindo Pharma—had reportedly purchased a large parcel of land in the Bheemili beach area and carried out construction activities in violation of CRZ norms during the YSRCP regime.
After the TDP-led coalition government came to power, authorities demolished the constructions following court orders.
In July 2025, police also registered a case against a company owned by Neha Reddy for alleged CRZ violations, as directed by the court.
The High Court had earlier pulled up the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) for carrying out only partial demolition of the wall constructed by Neha Reddy.
It also directed that the cost of demolition and compensation for environmental damage be recovered from her.
“If the present TDP government relaxes CRZ norms and reclassifies the area from CRZ-3 to CRZ-2, as sought by Ramakrishna Babu, it would help regularise the constructions made by Sai Reddy’s daughter in the name of tourism development,” sources claimed.