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Telangana Information Technology Minister K T Rama Rao has asked the Centre to choose Hyderabad for establishing Data Embassies and not GIFT City in Gujarat, which is prone to earthquakes.
In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, he raised serious objections to the proposals in the Budget to set up Data Embassies in the GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) in Gujarat.
Stating that there are huge risks involved in establishing such infrastructure in a single location, which incidentally is also prone to earthquakes.
Stating that Hyderabad is an ideal location for setting up such data embassies, the Minister also pointed out that Gujarat shares a border with another country.
“We should consider the interests of the client countries while choosing the location,” he said.
Ideal location
“Hyderabad is in Seismic Zone-II, which indicates the least active seismic zones in the country, making it an ideal location for promoting such infrastructure,” he said.
“In contrast, GIFT City is located in Seismic Zone-III and is very close to Seismic Zone-IV, indicating that the region is at high risk for earthquakes,” he observed.
Developing international data embassies in such an area presents potential risks and could have significant consequences for international relations if the critical infrastructure was impacted, he said.
Multiple centres
The minister appealed to the Finance Minister to modify the proposal to facilitate data embassies in multiple locations. This would help create a level-playing field for data infrastructure in the country.