By France 24
Publication Date: 2026-10-11 03:27:00
Excavators have swung into action, clearing forest and farmland on the southeast coast for the $15 billion construction of Google’s largest data centre outside the United States.
The project at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state, a port often called Vizag, is championed by India as a cornerstone of its technological ambitions.
But many residents fear the data centre — one of several huge new tech sites in Vizag — will strain water and power resources, damage the environment and bring too few jobs in return.
Farmer Chandala Sadamma told AFP that when she sees the red-earth scars where her plot of mango and cashew trees once stood, “I feel like crying”.
She was paid more than $82,000 for the two-acre (0.8-hectare) stretch of land, but the transaction left a bitter taste.
“Some company came and, without showing any respect, they took the land and we accepted it,” the 50-year-old said.
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