Vizag police deny rally permission for Green Visakha’s concerns over data centres

On Sunday, police in Visakhapatnam denied permission to Green Visakha, an environmental NGO, to hold a procession raising concerns over proposed hyperscale AI data centres in the city. Residents had gathered near the Bhagat Singh statue at YMCA junction around 6 p.m., intending to march from the statue to RK Beach. Police officers conversed with the group for about an hour, requesting they refrain from displaying banners or making slogans.

Senior officials eventually arrived to speak with the organizers, who claimed their goal was not to protest but to engage in a discussion and take a photograph at the statue. Permission was granted for the photo opportunity before the police disbanded the gathering.

Circle Inspector L. Appala Naidu explained to The Hindu, "No protest was permitted on Beach Road, and citizens seeking to demonstrate should do so at the designated protest site near the Gandhi statue close to the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation building." Raja Rama Mohan Roy, president of Green Visakha, stated that the procession had been planned to raise awareness about issues such as water scarcity, groundwater depletion, increased electricity demand, waste heat, and pollution associated with large-scale data centre projects. The organization intends to reapply for permission from the police.