Google data centre project cleared for approvals after due diligence of DPR, APIIC tells High Court

The High Court heard a petition filed by environmentalist Bolisetti Satyanarayana regarding the allotment of 160 acres of land to Google's data centre project in Visakhapatnam district. The Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) informed the court that the detailed project report (DPR) and land allotment proposal for the hyperscale data centre, submitted by Raiden Infotech Pvt.

Ltd., a Google subsidiary, were approved after due diligence by the State Investment Promotion Committee (SIPC) and the State Investment Promotion Board (SIPB), and subsequently by the Council of Ministers. The land was initially allotted to Vizag Hyperscale Data Centre Park Limited, with ownership remaining with the Endowments Department.

The APIIC explained that a formal request was made to the Commissioner of Endowments for lease and advance possession of the land, which was initially granted for 11 years with an option to extend up to 30 years. The fixed annual lease rent was ₹26,45,54,400, with a 5% escalation every five years, and the payments were made to both the APIIC and the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Vari Devasthanam.

The Supreme Court has stated that land allotment can be done through auction or a bidding process, but in the case of this data centre project, other factors, such as its economic impact on Andhra Pradesh and competition with other states, were also considered. The temple's Executive Officer emphasized that the land is the absolute and inalienable property of the temple, forming part of its core endowment, and that judicial decisions on the land's character, transferability, and usage would directly affect the Devasthanam's assets and operations.