The Centre’s decision to relax the land requirement for IIT Goa comes as a shot in the arm for this long-stalled project. For years, the requirement of a 10 lakh square metre land to set up a campus had been a sticking point, one that has seen consistent opposition from people (not that the State government was short of options in that scale). However, with the Centre now allowing the State to set up an IIT campus spanning 4.5 lakh square metres, the government's task is relatively easier, as it can now consider establishing it within the Goa College of Engineering campus at Farmagudi.
Much water has flowed down our rivers since October 2015, when the State government identified land at the Bhagwati plateau in Canacona for a permanent campus and sought inspection by the HRD Ministry. Goa has had a chain of site rejections, after Canacona - Melaulim, Rivona, Sanguem and Codar. Locals have flagged environmental damage, loss of agricultural land and livelihoods, besides various other concerns. Finally, a permanent IIT campus appears to be an achievable dream, opening a door that had remained shut for too long.
While a major hurdle has been virtually cleared, it brings a more important set of questions into sharper focus. What, exactly, will IIT Goa become, and who will it serve? The government has in the past spoken of big ambitions in providing a world-class institution, a boost to research and innovation, new jobs, and a stronger local economy. On paper, it all sounds promising. Now that the project is back on track, we ask: Are the promised outcomes guaranteed? We ask this question not because we have doubts, but simply because the pressure of convincing is off.
We are in sync with the goals, especially research and innovation, but the question that would be asked - where does a Goan stand in this project? The recent developments at the Goa University, where outstation students have a larger share of seats than Goans, sends out a fear signal that these high-profile institutes may be good for brand building, projecting Goa as an elite education hub, but have very little for Goans. We are reminded that institutions of excellence don’t automatically translate into inclusive growth.
The Farmagudi campus may be a welcome compromise, but it cannot become an isolated enclave. The success of IIT Goa will depend on how well it integrates with its surroundings. Will it create real opportunities for Goans and provide support for local businesses as envisaged? Or will it operate in a bubble, disconnected from the community around it? And most importantly, how will the government ensure that growth does not come at the cost of equity? These are not abstract concerns. They go to the heart of what development should look like in a state like Goa. If premier institutions do not significantly contribute to the academic growth of Goan students, the founding purpose of such an institute will be defeated in the first place.
Relaxing the land requirement may have made IIT Goa possible, but the road ahead remains an entirely different challenge. While they may not be an opposition on the lines of what the government faced in the past decade, the commitment to include the people of Goa in the growth story will be watched very closely. The measure of success won’t be the size of the campus or the prestige that comes with the institution, but whether IIT Goa becomes something the state can truly cherish and call its own, an institution that grows with its people.
