Visakhapatnam, August 20: Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Secretary V. Srinivasas Rao has demanded the immediate cancellation and withdrawal of the proposed Adani-Google Data Center project in Visakhapatnam. Citing severe environmental hazards and acute drinking water shortages for local residents, the CPI(M) leader urged the state government to respect public sentiments and revoke all project approvals without delay.
Addressing the media regarding the project’s impact, Srinivasa Rao sharply criticized the administration’s land allocation strategy, raising concerns over the handover of public and religious assets to private corporations.
Srinivasa Rao launched a sharp attack on IT Minister Nara Lokesh, accusing him of misleading the Legislative Assembly regarding the project’s real ecological footprint and resource consumption. Rao dismissed the Minister’s statements defending the facility’s water usage as a cover-up, asserting that official figures presented in the House downplay the severe disruption the project will cause to the city’s municipal water supply.
Unused Allotments and Temple Land Diversion
Highlighting serious discrepancies in land distribution, Srinivasa Rao pointed out that out of 300 acres allocated to the Adani Group in Madhurawada three years ago, a significant portion remains unutilized. Despite this, the government has moved forward to allocate an additional 160 acres belonging to the historic Simhachalam Devasthanam in the Mudasarlova area.
“Do not transform Visakhapatnam into ‘Adanipatnam’,” Rao stated, questioning the rationale behind continually transferring valuable temple and public land assets to corporate houses without ensuring the utilization of past allotments.
Threat to Drinking Water and Rising Regional Temperatures
Rao emphasized the heavy environmental burden data centers place on municipal infrastructure. He warned that diverting Godavari water pipelines to meet the massive cooling demands of the facility in Arilova directly threatens the drinking water supply of Visakhapatnam’s residents. Furthermore, he explicitly cautioned that operating high-density data infrastructure in populated areas will drive up local temperatures, aggravating heat conditions across the city.
Proposed Alternative: Offshore Sea-Based Setup
Offering a alternative to the current project plan, VSR advised the government to shift the data center off the coast into the sea. He argued that an offshore setup could utilize the ocean’s abundant water for cooling requirements while harnessing tidal power directly to generate renewable energy for running the facility, thereby preventing environmental strain and resource depletion on mainland Visakhapatnam.
Questions Silence of Religious and Political Groups
Directing questions at the BJP, RSS, and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), the CPI(M) leader challenged their silence regarding the diversion of Simhachalam Devasthanam temple lands for commercial projects.
Srinivasa Rao warned that if the state government ignores public opposition and attempts to move forward with construction, CPI(M) alongside civic groups and local residents will mobilize on-ground protests to physically block further work at the site.
