Vizag police deny rally permission for Green Visakha’s concerns over data centres
A planned procession by Green Visakha, an environmental NGO, to raise concerns over proposed hyperscale AI data centres in the city was denied permission by
A planned procession by Green Visakha, an environmental NGO, to raise concerns over proposed hyperscale AI data centres in the city was denied permission by the police on Sunday. Residents gathered near the Bhagat Singh statue at YMCA junction around 6 p.m. for a procession from the statue to RK Beach. For nearly an hour, police personnel engaged in discussions with the gathering, during which the residents were asked not to raise banners or slogans.
Senior officials arrived at the spot and spoke with the organisers, who maintained that they intended no protest but sought only to hold a discussion and take a photograph at the statue. The police permitted the group for a photograph at the site before dispersing.
Speaking to The Hindu, Circle Inspector L. Appala Naidu said, “No protest had been permitted on Beach Road, and that citizens wishing to demonstrate should do so at the designated protest site near the Gandhi statue close to the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation building.” Green
Visakha president Raja Rama Mohan Roy said the procession had been intended to sensitise citizens to concerns over water scarcity, groundwater depletion, rising electricity demand, waste heat, and pollution linked to large-scale data centre projects. He said the organisation would approach the police again to seek permission.
The BriefWire