Balkum Pada residents oppose proposed AI data centre in Thane

A proposed ₹7,203.29-crore AI data centre across 53.73 acres in Balkum Pada has brought local residents and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray together in opposition to the project.

During a visit to residents on September 8, Thackeray said the facility should be moved to an industrial area with “red industry” status. He cited anticipated noise, heat emissions, electricity and water use, as well as diesel-generator backup, as concerns for the residential neighbourhood.

The citizen group Wake-up Thanekar has questioned the project details, including what it says are discrepancies in figures, the absence of public consultation and limited information on how the facility would operate. Anuradha, a Balkum Pada resident, said residents had appealed to ministers and bureaucrats to shift the site.

Amazon Data Services India bought about 54 acres from Ananta Landmarks, a Kalpataru subsidiary, in October 2022 for approximately ₹1,870 crore. It filed for environmental clearance in June 2024 under the EIA category covering townships, area development projects and rehabilitation centres.