Amaravati: The extravagant spending on the luxurious palace built by former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Rushikonda in Visakhapatnam has sparked controversy. The lavish bathrooms in the palace, equipped with Toto brand commodes priced between Rs. 9 lakh and Rs. 15.95 lakh, have drawn public ire. Each of these high-end commodes could fund the construction of at least six houses for the poor, given that the cost of constructing a house for the underprivileged in the state under the Vaikapa government is Rs. 1.80 lakh, fully funded by the central government.
The palace’s bathrooms, each sprawling over 480 square feet, feature state-of-the-art facilities including heated toilet seats for winter, an automatic air purifying system, and self-operating lids that open, close, and flush automatically. In stark contrast, the houses built on the cent land allotted to the poor by the Jagan government cover only 340 square feet.
The opulence of the Rushikonda palace, built with Rs. 450 crores of public money, has not gone unnoticed. Photos and videos showcasing the palace’s spacious bathrooms have left the public astonished and outraged, especially as they compare these lavish expenditures with the modest homes provided to the underprivileged. The revelation of the exorbitant costs of the palace’s amenities has further opened the eyes of common people, highlighting the disparity in spending priorities.
