Former Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Gudivada Amarnath on Sunday questioned the State government’s preparedness to facilitate large-scale investments in Data Centres in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in Visakhapatnam, and raised concerns over water availability, power supply and environmental impact.

Addressing a press conference at the YSRCP office, Mr. Amarnath said the YSRCP had initially welcomed the proposed Data Centres in the State. However, he alleged that the NDA government had failed to come up with a clear plan to meet the infrastructure requirements of such projects.

He said the State government had so far issued government orders and announced incentives for setting up Data Centres with a cumulative capacity of up to 10 GW across Andhra Pradesh, including the proposed facility in Visakhapatnam. “How will the government provide water to these Data Centres? How will it ensure uninterrupted power supply? How will it address the environmental concerns?” he asked.

Mr. Amarnath also ridiculed the government’s proposal to bring Polavaram water to Visakhapatnam to meet the requirements of industries, including Data Centres.

Referring to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s recent visit to Anakapalli, Mr. Amarnath described it as a “flop show” and alleged that it appeared to have been a managed event. He said farmers in rural areas expected the Chief Minister to address issues concerning agriculture and their livelihoods, but alleged that Mr. Naidu had failed to respond to their concerns.

On the agricultural situation in Anakapalli district, Mr. Amarnath demanded that it be declared drought-hit. He alleged that farmers had achieved less than 10% of the expected agricultural production so far, despite warnings of deficient rainfall this year.

Published - August 23, 2026 08:25 pm IST