the goan I network
MARGAO
Come July 21, 2021, and the historic town of Cuncolim will have its name on the country’s education map.
Reason: The National Institute of Technology (NIT) campus with state-of-the-art amenities is expected to be officially commissioned on July 21 two years from now.
The NIT campus which is coming up on 6.70 lakh square feet area will house around 1500 students in the hostels. The 150 faculties will be equipped with 90 classrooms, including smart ones, with modern facilities and digital library.
NIT Goa Director Prof Gopal Mugeraya exuded confidence that the new campus will be ready within two years. “We have tentatively fixed the date for the commissioning of the campus to July 21, 2021,” he said.
He pointed out that the work on the construction of the compound wall has already commenced and exuded confidence of completing the work on schedule. 70 per cent of the work is already completed, he added.
Prof Mugeraya said work on the construction of the main campus will be carried out as per CPWD norms at a cost of Rs 300 crore. “We have completed with all the protocols relating to the tender process and the work order is being given to the contractor,” he said, adding that work on the campus building will kick start from September 15.
Saying that the campus will have an inbuilt power plan with a 3-MW power-generation capacity, he said the students enrolling in the NIT will be exposed new technologies. “We will have an alliance with IIT, Mumbai, IAC Bengaluru and NIT Suratkal to provide quality education to the students at the NIT,” Prof Mugeraya added.
While calling for support from the local population to get the name of Cuncolim on the country’s education map, Mugeraya said the town will benefit in a big way once the campus is fully commissioned.
When his attention was drawn to the water canal passing near the NIT property which has raised some questions in local quarters, Prof Mugeraya said the NIT will spend an additional Rs 50 lakh to get the canal covered.
“We will take utmost precautions to ensure that the local population does not face any problem. The canal will not be disturbed by us. On the contrary, we will spend around Rs 50 lakh to cover the canal with a concrete structure. We will take care of the water drainage at the campus itself,” he said.
Allaying some of the apprehensions raised in certain quarters, he said people of Cuncolim need not worry about any pollution. On the contrary, he said the campus will be turned into a beautiful place and people will be allowed to take their evening walks there.
The NIT Goa campus project at Cuncolim was set in motion during the tenure of former chief minister late Manohar Parrikar, who was instrumental in facilitating the acquisition of around four lakh square meters of land near the police station for the project.
Though many reservations were raised in local circles over the benefits accruing for Cuncolim, the government and the people finally rooted for the project on grounds the historic village should not miss the opportunity of hosting a prestigious education institution such as the NIT.
