PANAJI
The Social Welfare Minister and Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldesai on Tuesday said that the State government is in the final stage of acquiring around 10 lakh sq mtrs of land in Sanguem for setting up IIT permanent campus.
Speaking to media persons, Phaldesai said that the land acquisition for IIT is almost in the final stage and the official announcement would be made by the Chief Minister within a months’ time. “We have identified 10 lakh sq mtrs of land and the acquisition is in process,” he said.
Phaldesai said that after the Centre rejected the earlier identified land, as a portion of it was a non-development zone, the government initiated a process for new land. “The project was not dropped because of public opposition but the IIT site selection committee rejected the land parcel as it was a no-development zone…a hillock,” he said.
The Centre had asked for 12 lakh square meters of land for the project, and the government had offered to make available 7 lakh sq mts for the project. However, only around 3 lakh sq metres of land stood available for use of the project as the other 4 lakh stands covered by a natural cover and a hillock.
Goa IIT, which began functioning in July 2016, has been operating from the temporary campus of Goa Engineering College at Farmagudi. There have been four unsuccessful attempts to find land for the campus and relocate it.
The State had initially identified land at Canacona to set up IIT but due to the opposition from locals it was shifted to Sanguem, Valpoi and Sanguem again. However, here too, the proposal could not materialize as locals at each site opposed it.
