PANAJI
A major hurdle in setting up the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Technology Goa has finally been cleared, with the Union Ministry of Education waiving the mandatory requirement of 10 lakh square metres of land for the institute.
Following the relaxation, the Goa government has identified around 4.5 lakh square metres within the premises of Goa College of Engineering (GEC) at Farmagudi for the proposed campus and has forwarded a fresh proposal to the Centre.
An inspection team from the Union Ministry is now expected to visit the site to assess its suitability for the permanent campus. “The State had approached the Ministry seeking relaxation of the 10 lakh sq mts requirement, as it was difficult to find such a large contiguous land parcel in a small State like Goa. Several sites identified earlier either faced public opposition or were not approved,” a senior official said.
“Considering these constraints, the Centre agreed to waive the standard criteria. We have accordingly identified around 4.5 lakh sq mts within the GEC campus, from where IIT Goa is currently functioning,” the official added.
Nearly a decade after its establishment in 2016, IIT Goa continues to operate from its temporary campus at Farmagudi, underlining the urgency of securing a permanent facility to enable expansion in academic, research, and residential infrastructure.
Officials confirmed that the proposal has been formally submitted and the Centre’s inspection team is likely to visit soon, although dates are yet to be finalised. “There is no confirmation on the schedule of the visit,” the official said.
The move comes months after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, during campaigning for the Ponda by-election, announced that the permanent campus of IIT Goa would come up at Farmagudi.
Efforts to finalise land for the campus have faced repeated setbacks over the years. Earlier proposed sites at Loliem in Canacona, Melauli in Sattari, and Cotarli in Sanguem were dropped following strong public opposition. Other locations, including Rivona in Sanguem and Dharbandora, were shelved due to land acquisition hurdles.
Most recently, a site at Codar village in Ponda was abandoned in September last year after protests by local residents.
The prolonged delay in securing land has also impacted the institute’s growth. IIT Goa has missed out on key research and infrastructure grants, including additional funding announced by the Union Ministry of Education for IITs established after 2014.
