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Nearly a thousand residents of Thane district near Mumbai gathered at Balkum Naka to oppose the construction of Amazon’s 422 MW data centre near housing societies and schools. Gathered protesters collectively asked for the data centre be relocated to a properly planned industrial or technology zone rather than residential neighbourhoods.
Residents gathered under the banner of Wakeup Thanekars (WUT) raised concern regarding the industrial-scale digital infrastructure project’s location in the middle of an already densely populated residential area. Their concerns included added pressure to an already stressed regional water and power infrastructure, heat generation, noise pollution, traffic congestion and reduced green cover in an area known for its green space.
“The movement demand is not to stop investment or technological progress but to identify a more suitable location for the data centre that balances economic development with the interests of citizens,” said Dayanand Nene, member of the WUT.
In countries like the US, residents have been vocally opposing data centres in their areas. This is the first time that local residents in India are raising their concerns about the digital infrastructure.
Organisers told businessline that the call for protest came after mails and conversations with Amazon officials in the presence of Saurabh Rao, Municipal Commissioner. WUT first wrote to the company in June but did not receive a direct response, barring a public statement.The group then had a meeting with Amazon with the Municipal Commissioner present a few days before the protest.
EIA report
Referring to the data centre’s environment impact assessment (EIA) report, residents found out that the tech giant plans to set up a 422MW data centre acrosss 54.73 acres and the 193 diesel generator to be set up for backup power. Accordingly, the WUT asked about the environmental implications, and the cumulative impact expected when the project’s second phase becomes operational. However, the company failed to satisfactorily address concerns regarding water and energy consumption during the interaction, as per Nene. Following the protest, the Commissioner has flagged the resident demands to higher up.
When asked about the development, an Amazon spokesperson said to businessline, “This facility will not draw or divert power from the local distribution grid that serves residential and commercial consumers, but through its own dedicated high-voltage substation, planned in coordination with the utility. We recently announced that Amazon became water positive in India, returning more water to communities than it uses. Amazon does not currently use water for cooling in its data centers in India, including our Thane site, and we do not draw from the community’s drinking or potable water for cooling purposes. Amazon takes a holistic approach to minimising both energy and water consumption while meeting the highest health, safety, and environmental standards.”
For now, the WUT is in conversation with both local authorities as well as Amazon and has submitted a 5-page document with 22 questions regarding the data centre and 10 written submissions. These include copies of the water supply agreement between Amazon and the TMC, the cost of treating sewage water for the data centre, a thermal impact assessment for the surrounding residential area and for Thane Creek and a call for at least one public information meeting for residents of Balkum Pada, Majiwada, and surrounding RWAs.
Published on July 19, 2026
English (US) ·