Giant data centre over land belonging to Dalits sparking protests in Andhra Pradesh
Speaking at the ceremony, Naidu described the occasion as a historic day for Andhra Pradesh and India. He said the 1 GW Google AI data centre, spread over 600 acres, would serve as a growth engine for India and become Asia’s largest facility of its kind. India’s Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was also present at the event.
When Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, an ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, laid the foundation stone of a $15 billion Google artificial intelligence (AI) data centre near the coastal city of Visakhapatnam in India's Andhra Pradesh state on 28 April, the project was projected as Asia's largest digital infrastructure initiative.
Speaking at the ceremony, Naidu described the occasion as a historic day for Andhra Pradesh and India. He said the 1 GW Google AI data centre, spread over 600 acres, would serve as a growth engine for India and become Asia's largest facility of its kind. India's Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was also present at the event.
However, the project has faced resistance over land acquisition.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
According to The Wire, Dalit communities and farmers in Visakhapatnam have been protesting the acquisition of land for the Google-backed AI data centre. Their opposition centres on concerns over displacement from land that was originally allotted to Dalit families in the 1970s.
According to an official release, the project began in September 2025 and is scheduled to be inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 September 2028. It is expected to provide advanced AI cloud infrastructure and large-scale data storage capabilities.
Local farmers, including Dalit women, have refused to give up their land, saying they will not be coerced despite political pressure.
According to Frontline magazine, the project is being developed on land that belonged to members of the Dalit community in Tarluvada village in Visakhapatnam district.
The magazine reported that the government offered compensation for the land, but some villagers argue it is below market value. It also raised concerns over environmental impact, particularly water consumption in a water-stressed region.
Frontline further reported that the local Dalit community is divided over the project, with local leaders split in their views and allegations of external real estate influence complicating resistance.
According to a Times of India report published in October last year, while the government rate for the land at the project site is Rs 17 lakh per acre, the state government later raised it to Rs 20 lakh per acre following requests from farmers. Compensation will be paid at two and a half times this rate, amounting to Rs 50 lakh per acre, the report said.
In addition, the government has agreed to provide affected farmers with outsourced jobs, shops in a shopping complex for employment, and three cents of land each for house construction.
Bheemili lawmaker Ganta Srinivasa Rao, whose constituency includes the acquisition area, alleged that during the previous government's tenure, an influential officer gave advances for disputed government land covering about 300 acres in Anandapuram, Bheemili, Padmanabham and Pendurthi.
He further claimed that when the acquisition of 200 acres from farmers was nearing completion, a proxy of the officer filed a court case in the farmers' names without their knowledge.
During his visit to Visakhapatnam last week, Naidu ordered strict action against benami individuals allegedly acting on behalf of certain political leaders to obstruct the project. He also expressed concern over reports that one of the names used in the court case belonged to a deceased farmer.
Naidu said that once compensation is announced for land acquisition, it is not increased elsewhere except for this project, adding that the revised rates were made to meet farmers' requests.
The project is being developed in partnership with Adani ConneX and Airtel Nxtra.
Website NewsLaundry has also claimed that a two-minute investigative video on the impact of Google's proposed Visakhapatnam data centre on Dalit community land was blocked in India after it went viral, crossing 2.6 million views on Instagram.
According to media reports, the Andhra Pradesh government is allegedly trying to "suppress" the voices raising environmental concerns over the data centre project.
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has raised questions about rushed environmental clearances, alleged illegal construction at Adavivaram, and forest diversion, arguing that these could pose serious environmental risks.
