Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray has asked the Maharashtra government to halt work on Amazon’s proposed hyperscale AI data centre in Thane until an expert committee completes its assessment of the project’s environmental and infrastructure impact.
In a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Thackeray said the project in the Balkum-Majiwada area should remain on hold until a 17-member committee headed by former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Dr Anil Kakodkar submits its report.
The panel has been given three months to study the wider impact of data centres in Maharashtra.
Its mandate includes examining electricity demand, water use, heat emissions, noise, environmental effects and the impact on nearby communities.
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Project Faces Questions Over Power and Water Demand
The proposed Amazon Web Services facility is planned across roughly 53 acres in Thane.
Earlier project-related information cited in public reporting put its planned electricity requirement at about 422 MW.
The facility is also expected to have a large number of diesel generators for backup power.
Residents and local groups have raised concerns about whether such a large project should operate close to residential areas, schools and hospitals.
Thackeray has asked the state to clarify how such data centres are approved and what safeguards are used while assessing their impact on local infrastructure.
He also sought details on how electricity and water requirements are calculated before projects receive permission.
These concerns are still being examined and have not been established as environmental violations.
Amazon Says Local Water and Power Will Not Be Hit
Amazon has challenged several concerns raised around the project.
The company says the data centre will use closed-loop cooling technology.
Under such a system, coolant circulates through sealed infrastructure rather than continuously drawing fresh water for cooling.
Amazon says it will therefore not use local potable water for cooling operations.
The company has also said the facility will receive electricity through its own dedicated high-voltage transmission connection.
According to Amazon, this means it will not draw power from the local distribution network used by nearby homes and businesses.
The company says its environmental clearances are publicly available and that it has designed the project to minimise local impact.
The Kakodkar committee is expected to assess these claims alongside concerns raised by residents and officials.
Expert Committee Will Study Wider Data Centre Policy
The Maharashtra government constituted the committee earlier this month following growing debate around large data-centre projects.
The panel includes officials from departments dealing with energy, water conservation, industries and investment.
It will study not only the Amazon project but broader policy questions around data-centre development in the state.
The committee has been asked to examine best practices in India and abroad and recommend guidelines for energy-efficient and sustainable data centres.
It will also assess alternative cooling technologies, water conservation and reuse.
Another part of its mandate is to suggest standard operating procedures for future data-centre approvals.
That could influence how Maharashtra evaluates major AI and cloud infrastructure projects in coming years.
Residents Want Greater Role in Decision-Making
Thackeray has also asked the government to include representatives from local civic organisations in the committee.
Residents in Balkum, Majiwada and surrounding areas have been campaigning against the location of the project.
Their concerns include water shortages, electricity demand, noise from generators, heat and traffic pressure.
Some have questioned why such a large data centre is being built near residential neighbourhoods instead of within an industrial zone.
The Wake Up Thanekar citizens’ group has previously raised similar concerns.
At the same time, state officials and technology companies argue that data centres are increasingly important infrastructure for cloud computing, artificial intelligence and digital services.
That creates a policy challenge.
Maharashtra wants to attract investment in data centres while also addressing concerns about land, electricity, water and urban infrastructure.
AI Growth Is Increasing Pressure on Data Centre Infrastructure
The debate in Thane reflects a wider issue emerging across India.
AI workloads require large amounts of computing power.
That means data centres supporting AI can consume far more electricity than conventional office buildings.
Cooling systems, backup generators and supporting infrastructure can also increase the environmental footprint of large facilities.
NITI Aayog has recently pushed for stronger scrutiny of power and water availability before large data centres are approved.
Similar community concerns have emerged around proposed projects in other parts of India.
Governments are therefore trying to balance digital infrastructure expansion with questions around energy security and local environmental impact.
The Kakodkar committee’s recommendations could become particularly important because Maharashtra is one of India’s biggest data-centre markets.
Its findings may shape not only the Amazon project in Thane but future approval standards across the state.
What this means for you:
The Thane dispute is not simply about one Amazon facility. It could help determine how Maharashtra evaluates the power, water and environmental impact of large AI data centres before allowing similar projects in densely populated areas.
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