Hans News Service Visakhapatnam

Thegovernment deliberately downgraded mega data centres, which should be strictly classified under ‘category A’ due to stringent environmental laws, to ‘category B2’to grant environmental clearances, national convenor of Jal Biradari and environmentalist Bolisetty Satyanarayana raised strong objections over government regulatory violations.

Referring to recent statements made by Visakhapatnam MP M Sribharat assuring that the proposed data centres and major industrial projects pose no threat to water resources and the environment, Bolisetty Satyanarayana disagreed with the MP’s explanation.

“Classifying a mega data centre as ‘category B2’ in the Google project bypasses the mandatory public hearing and comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes required for Category A,” Satyanarayana objected, pointing out that issuing environmental clearances swiftly and laying the foundation stone immediately is entirely wrong.

This is an ‘illegal’ move designed to suppress citizens’ voices and conceal the environmental damage caused by such projects. In the name of ‘ease of doing business’, Satyanarayana alleged, the city witnesses ‘ease of doing destruction’, which is a severe ecological onslaught and a major blow to the peaceful life of the people.