Farmers protest land acquisition for proposed Reliance data centre in Andhra Pradesh
Farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district are protesting the proposed acquisition of about 800 acres for a Reliance data centre in Bhogapuram mandal. Some have approached the High Court, while officials say the acquisition follows land laws and that compensation will be paid for affected assigned land.
Farmers in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district have protested against the proposed acquisition of land for a Reliance data centre in Bhogapuram mandal. The project is expected to require about 850 acres. The government currently has around 50 acres and plans to acquire a further 800 acres in areas including Polipalli, Bhogapuram East and Bhogapuram West, according to the source material.
For the past several days, some farmers have protested by standing shirtless in front of the mandal parishad officer. They also boycotted a meeting organised by Bhogapuram Mandal Development Officer D. Swarupa Rani on Friday.
A number of farmers have approached the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The action has added a legal dimension to the dispute as the authorities pursue land for the proposed facility. A senior official said about 250 acres of the land falls under the assigned-land category.
Such land cannot be sold by farmers to private parties, the official said, but the government can resume it after paying compensation. The official advised the farmers to await the court’s order and said the acquisition was being carried out under the Land Acquisition Act and applicable rules. The government is hopeful that the Bhogapuram area will develop rapidly after the data centre is established.
The source material does not state when construction is expected to begin, the project’s investment value or the court’s schedule for hearing the farmers’ petitions.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.