Several senior Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leaders, including Visakhapatnam (East) MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu and TNSF (Telugu Nadu Students Union) state president Pranab Gopal, were detained at home ahead of the scheduled protest near East Haritha Resort. Was. Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) at Rushikonda, Visakhapatnam on October 27.
The city police put up pickets in front of their houses from 5 am onwards and did not allow the leaders to come out, who were to protest at the site.
Though TDP Visakhapatnam parliamentary constituency president Palla Srinivasa Rao and former minister Bandaru Satyanarayana along with some supporters managed to reach the spot, they were not allowed inside and staged a street protest.
The TDP is seeking clarity on why the state government demolished the existing APTDC Haritha Resort located on Rushikonda hill.
“Our demand is simple. We want the government to make the DPR public. There is no clarity whether a new resort is coming up or the CM’s camp office is coming up at the site,” said MLA Velagapudi Ramakrishna Babu.
talking to Hindu Mr Palla Srinivasa Rao said that a part of the iconic Rushikonda Hill has been demolished and there is still no clarity.
The site falls under Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) zone and mining is prohibited in such area. But despite this, there is extensive quarrying which is posing a threat to the environment, he said.
He also alleged that there was no National Green Tribunal (NGT) clearance and environmental norms were being violated. “Most importantly, our idea was to hold a peaceful protest and create awareness among the people of the city about what is happening at the iconic tourist spot. But our leaders were put under house arrest and we were not allowed to protest. This government does not like dissent of any kind, which is against the core democratic principles of our country,” said Mr Palla Srinivasa Rao.
A huge police force was seen deployed in Rushikonda on Wednesday.
Earlier, Tourism Minister Muttamsetty Srinivasa Rao had already clarified that the existing resort was demolished to facilitate the construction of a new resort and the project was approved by MoEFCC and CRZ clearance by the ministry .
According to the project report submitted by the state government to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the project is coming up on about 9.8 acres of land with a built-up area of 19,968 square meters, at a cost of ₹240 crore.
It will come in two phases, with an expenditure of Rs 92 crore for site preparation and road connectivity and Rs 148 crore for building construction.
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