Residents near proposed sites are raising alarms over water shortages, power cuts, and pollution. Now, NITI Aayog’s new framework wants to change how these projects get approved. Instead of chasing big investment numbers, states must now prove they can handle the load; literally. Electricity grids must be upgraded *before* approvals. Water use must be audited for 30 years. Incentives? Tied to real jobs, local procurement, and green energy; not just promises. One line buried in the proposal says it all: “Do that India is not just the best place to build data centres, but the best place to *sustain* them.” That’s the real test. Because behind the ₹110 billion AI infrastructure wave are thousands of homes, farmers, and small businesses quietly asking; what’s left for us?