MARGAO
Social Welfare Minister & Sanguem MLA Subhash Phaldesai has suspected the foreign hand behind the ongoing agitation against the proposed IIT at Sanguem.
Phaldesai has dared the people agitating against the proposed IIT to show cultivated paddy in the project area, asserting the area does not play host to any coconut or mango tree.
Interacting with the media on the sidelines of the flagging off of the pilgrim train to Tirupathi at the Margao railway station on Thursday evening, Phaldesai suspected foreign funding to stop many educational and other projects in the country.
“Vested interests abroad do not want India to have more technical centres imparting quality technical education to its youth. They do not want India to become a power in the world. It is sad that our locals fall prey to these vested interests and stall important projects,” he said.
To a question, he said the government will certainly initiate an inquiry to find out the foreign hand, but hastened to add that India is a democratic country and one needs to follow the due process of law.
The Sanguem MLA, however, asserted that the IIT project will come only in Sanguem, saying those who are opposing the project are not cultivating the fields in the proposed area.
“Let them show their Krishi cards to prove they are cultivating the land in question,” he said, adding that since the land is not used for agriculture, the IIT project will come up only at the proposed site.
On the DSSS and other schemes, he said the social welfare department has cleared payments for all the schemes, disabled and widows.
He also said the scheme unveiled by the government for small traders and others who were affected by the Covid pandemic is being cleared of the payments.
