VISAKHAPATNAM: The Human Rights Forum (HRF) and the United Forum for RTI Campaign (UFRTI) have raised concerns over the Andhra Pradesh government’s refusal to disclose the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Google for the proposed data center and associated investments in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts. The organisations have urged the State to make the MoU public at the earliest.
The State government has described the agreement as a major investment initiative that will position Andhra Pradesh as a digital infrastructure hub. In a joint press release, however, HRF and UFRTI noted that the government has not placed the details of the MoU in the public domain. They said withholding the document goes against the basic provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, which mandates proactive disclosure of information relating to public agreements.
The organisations pointed out that the reported investment, approximately 15 billion dollars, has significant implications for land allotment, water and power usage, data governance, and regulatory safeguards.