MAPUSA
As the debate over the university continues, one thing is certain “ the villagers of Tivim are not backing down.
Their fight is not just about stopping a university; it’s about protecting their land, their resources and their future.
And in the face of mounting pressure, they are determined to stand their ground, come what may.
Among those leading the charge against the project is influencer and mixed martial arts fighter Nelson Paes, a native of Tivim who now resides in Arpora. Paes, known for his fighting spirit inside the cage, is equally determined to defend his homeland from what he describes as the “destruction” caused by unwanted development projects.
"For the youth of Goa, this is not just a fight for land; it’s a fight for our future," Paes said passionately during the meeting.
“This project will only swallow up our land and offer nothing in return for the Goan people. We don’t want this private university here, and I urge the youth to stand united in opposing it,” he added.
Paes’ presence at the gram sabha added weight to a growing movement that has drawn support from across the village.
The State government’s proposal, which has already received in-principle approval from the Investment Promotion Board (IPB), would allocate a vast portion of land owned by the Tivim comunidade to the private university.
But for locals, many of whom have deep historical and familial ties to the land, the move is seen as a blow to their heritage, their resources and their very identity.
Fighting for land
and identity
For the dhangar community, who rely on the land for grazing, the issue goes beyond the university “ it’s a battle to preserve their way of life.
At the gram sabha, Mahadev Patil, a member of the dhangar community, who resides at the foothills of the land proposed for the university, voiced his frustrations with the offer to secure employment for his people by running vehicles for the university or working in laundry services.
“Should we always be relegated to washing clothes? Is that the future they see for us?” Patil asked pointedly, his words echoing the sentiment of a community that feels left out of the development process.
He also criticized the managing committee of the comunidade for offering the land at what he saw as a ridiculously low price.
“They’ve given away our land for just ₹250 per square metre. Give it to us instead, and we’ll buy it at ₹1000 per square metre,” Patil asserted.
This sense of unfairness was shared by many attendees, including a gauncar’s daughter Queeny Pereira, who questioned the need for another university when Goa already has its own reputable educational institution, Goa University.
“Why not start the new courses they’re proposing at our existing university instead of giving away such a large piece of land to a private one?” she asked, adding that the proposed 2 lakh square metres of land was far too much for a single project.
“We don’t want a university that’s going to swallow up our village,” she declared.
A growing
movement
The meeting was also a wake-up call for many residents, some of whom were attending a gram sabha for the first time.
Among them was Rufa Da Cruz, a resident of Tivim, who said she was compelled to attend to do her part in halting what she called the "wholesale selling of Goa."
“What’s happening is nothing short of a sale of our State’s land. It has to stop, and the responsibility starts with each of us. Every Goan must come out and oppose these illogical projects,” Da Cruz said, her words resonating with a crowd growing increasingly wary of large-scale development projects that threaten their environment and way of life.
The concerns raised at the gram sabha went beyond the immediate environmental damage that such a massive project could cause.
For many, the issue was symbolic of a larger struggle against unchecked development in a State where land is already a scarce resource.
As more and more projects encroach upon agricultural and comunidade lands, the future of Goa’s villages and the people who inhabit them hangs in the balance.
The people of Tivim have spoken, and their message is clear: they will fight to save Goa from further destruction. Whether the government will listen remains to be seen.
