From Our Correspondent
Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh High Court has sought explanations from the state government and several departments over the allotment of 160 acres of land belonging to the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Simhachalam for a proposed hyperscale data centre project linked to Google’s planned data centre investment in Visakhapatnam.
A Division Bench headed by the Chief Justice issued notices to the Andhra Pradesh government, the AP Pollution Control Board, Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC), the Endowments Commissioner, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and M/s Vizag Hyperscale Data Centre Park Limited, directing them to file detailed responses.
Land part of Google-linked data centre campus
The controversy centres on the government’s proposal to include 160 acres of Simhachalam temple land in Adavivaram and Mudasarlova as part of a 601-acre integrated campus earmarked for Vizag Hyperscale Data Centre Park Limited. The project is intended to support Google’s proposed hyperscale data centre in Visakhapatnam, one of the largest technology investments announced for Andhra Pradesh.
According to the petition, APIIC proposed to lease the temple land from the Simhachalam Devasthanam and then sub-lease it to the project developer.
PIL challenges allotment
The Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed by environmental activist and Jal Biradari National Convenor Bolisetty Satyanarayana, seeks cancellation of the land allotment.
The petition raises three principal objections:
- Violation of the Endowments Act: It argues that Section 80 of the Andhra Pradesh Endowments Act requires a public notification before temple land can be transferred for commercial purposes, and alleges that this mandatory procedure was not followed.
- Environmental concerns: The land lies adjacent to the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary, an ecologically sensitive area.
- Threat to water security: The petitioner contends that large-scale commercial construction could affect the catchment area of the Mudasarlova Reservoir, an important drinking water source for Visakhapatnam.
The PIL also alleges that the project was classified in a manner that avoided mandatory public hearings and comprehensive environmental impact assessments.
High Court seeks detailed responses
After hearing the matter, the High Court directed all respondents to submit counter-affidavits explaining the legal basis for the land allotment and the environmental clearances granted for the project.
During the hearing, the state government reportedly argued that ownership of the land would continue to remain with the Simhachalam temple because the arrangement involved a lease rather than an outright transfer.
The High Court has not made any observations on the merits of the case and has posted it for further hearing after receiving responses from the government and other authorities.
The outcome of the case could have significant implications for the Google-linked hyperscale data centre project as well as for future industrial use of temple lands in Andhra Pradesh.