Adani Gets Sale Deed for Data Center Lands in Andhra Pradesh!
Gautam Adani has emerged as Asia’s richest person, overtaking Mukesh Ambani. According to recent figures, Adani’s net worth stands at $92.6 billion, while Ambani’s is $90.8 billion. Amid this, the Andhra Pradesh government has approved a series of proposals related to the Adani Group’s data center project, including land allotment changes and policy relaxations. The project is being positioned as a data center initiative linked to Google, with facilities planned in Visakhapatnam. However, land for the project has been allotted in the name of Adani Group companies. Initially, the state government allocated 480 acres across three locations for the data center project. Within four months, the allocation was increased to 601 acres, adding another 121 acres. The revision in land allocation has drawn attention in administrative circles.
In a key decision, the government has approved the request of Adani Infra India Ltd to obtain sale deeds for the allotted land. Typically, industrial land allotments are first executed through a sale agreement by the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, with sale deeds issued only after companies fulfill conditions such as investment commitments and employment generation. However, in this case, officials have been directed to process the sale deed as per the company’s request. Along with this, the government has also granted several relaxations for the project. These include exemption from standard parking norms, removal of restrictions on floor-to-ceiling height, and permission to establish data centers in any land-use zone within the allotted area.
The government is also examining a proposal to levy property tax at residential rates for the project, with the Municipal Administration department asked to place the matter before the competent authority. Additionally, data center facilities have been permitted without buffer zone restrictions from jail boundaries, subject to applicable norms. Officials state that such measures are aimed at attracting investments in emerging sectors like data centers. At the same time, the scale of concessions and changes in land allocation have led to discussions within administrative and policy circles. The developments underline the state government’s focus on promoting large-scale investments, even as debates continue over the extent of relaxations being offered for such projects.
