Amazon’s proposed Rs 45,000-crore data centre project in Thane has come under opposition from local residents and political leaders, with concerns being raised over its environmental impact, noise levels and pressure on civic resources.
More than 100 residents gathered outside the proposed 58-acre project site to protest against the development. Wearing T-shirts carrying the message “Wake up Thanekar” and holding banners and placards, the protesters demanded that the data centre be relocated, arguing that it would adversely affect the surrounding residential neighbourhood.
The demonstration was led by Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Manoj Pradhan, who said data centres are unsuitable for residential areas because of the noise generated by their operations. He also expressed concerns about the project’s water requirements.
“Data centres require a huge amount of water per day, and already there are several buildings in Thane that are not getting water from the Thane Municipal Corporation due to a shortfall. With the data centre, the problem would get accentuated.”
The project has also attracted political attention. Shiv Sena leader and Thane Member of Parliament Naresh Mhaske has written to the Thane Municipal Commissioner seeking a stay on the project. In his representation, he alleged violations related to tree-cutting beyond the approved limit and called for an independent expert committee to review the permissions granted for the project. He has also sought a detailed public hearing before the development proceeds.
The opposition comes at a time when the Maharashtra government is actively promoting the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) as a major destination for data centre investments. The state expects nearly 60 per cent of India’s data centre capacity to be concentrated across the MMR, which includes Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar and Panvel.
The protest highlights the growing debate over how to balance large-scale digital infrastructure investments with environmental concerns and the availability of civic resources in rapidly urbanising areas.
Source: The Economic Times
