SANGUEM
It was a raise of hands as residents at the Rivona Gram Sabha on Sunday unanimously agreed to support the IIT Goa project at Mole-Rivona.
Convinced that they would stand to benefit once the project is set up in the village, the residents expressed their gratitude to Social Welfare Minister and Sanguem MLA Subhash Phal Dessai for persevering to get the project in Rivona after the project was rejected in Cotarli, another part of Sanguem taluka.
With the residents giving their approval to the IIT Goa project, Rivona is set to be the home for the IIT Goa after the Rivona panchayat was confident that residents would welcome the project and had, accordingly, intimated the government.
Phal Dessai, who was a special invitee at the Gram Sabha, highlighted the many benefits that the IIT Goa would bring to the village.
Claiming that the village would stand to benefit from better infrastructure like roads, transport, communication and health facilities, Phal Dessai said there was a real possibility that meritorious students would get better education facilities in the village itself.
Considering that the IIT Goa is an environmentally-friendly project, Phal Dessai said there would be no hurdles in setting up the project, while locals would also stand to gain from jobs and other business avenues.
Mindful that youth in the village are presently using an open space to be acquired for the IIT project to play volleyball and cricket, Phal Dessai also promised a better ground in the village.
The Sanguem MLA also assured that those farmers who have encroached on a small piece of land to be acquired for the project would either be provided with alternative land or that, their encroached land would not be considered for the acquisition process.
In yet another pledge, Phal Dessai promised that any grievances of locals at Mole would be resolved and took personal responsibility to ensure that not a single resident of Mole is affected by the IIT project.
Convinced by the Sanguem MLA’s assurances, the residents spoke in favour of the project at the Gram Sabha and said it would play a key role in the development of the village. They assured to support Phal Dessai to get the project set up in the village.
