Protests against the construction of a large-scale Google artificial intelligence center in Visakhapatnam, India, are intensifying. The posters of the dissatisfied have handcuffs around the company's logo and a warning that "data cannot be drunk", AFP reported.
Excavators are already clearing forested areas and farmland along the country's southeastern coast. The investment is worth $15 billion, and the center will be Google's largest outside the United States.
Farmers lose their land
The project is being built in Visakhapatnam, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, and is supported by Indian authorities as part of the country's technological ambitions. The site has an area of 600 acres - more than 340 football fields.
The location is also important because Visakhapatnam is the exit point for underwater internet cables connecting India with Singapore.
Among those affected is 50-year-old farmer Chandala Sadama. She received more than $82,000 for a two-acre plot of land on which she grew mango and cashew trees.
“A company came and took the land without any respect for us, and we agreed,” Sadama said.The woman says the red marks from the clearing of the land make her cry.
Water and power concerns
Local residents fear that the center, along with other large technology projects, will strain water and power supplies. They also warn of possible environmental damage and limited permanent jobs.
Google defended the project through the position of Alexander Smith, head of infrastructure and power for the Asia-Pacific region. He described the investment as a multi-decade commitment and said the company has a duty to be a “good neighbor“.
“The water resources, the power grid and the communities around our sites should be in better shape because of our presence,“ said Smith.The Andhra Pradesh government said that people who lived on the site were being provided with not only financial compensation but also new housing. The project was also presented by the authorities as a key investment in the development of India's technological infrastructure.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg, today.rtl.lu