From Vizag to Thane, data centres meet local pushback (opens the source in a new tab)
- Villagers near Google's $15bn AI hub in Visakhapatnam allege land was taken back without proper consultation, and activists object to tree-clearing near the Kambalakonda sanctuary. In Thane, residents oppose Amazon's proposed 53-acre hyperscale site near homes, schools and hospitals.
- An ET commentary says India needs the compute but should earn consent: water-saving cooling and clean power, siting away from cities where possible, visible benefits for host communities, and rules set before the damage. It suggests treating big data centres as quasi-public utilities.
Why it matters India's AI ambitions depend on building compute at home. If communities feel they carry the costs while others get the gains, protests could become the real bottleneck, not chips or money.
Other side Sites far from cities mean higher costs and slower service for some uses, and community payouts can slide into bribes for bad projects. Utility-style rules could also deter the investment India is courting.