MMAPUSA: At a packed gram sabha in Tivim on Sunday, residents unanimously rejected the MIT Group’s proposed private university project, planned on comunidade land in the village. Locals expressed concerns about the environmental damage the project could cause to their pristine surroundings, along with fears of future shortages of water and electricity. They also voiced apprehensions that allocating a large area for the university would leave no land for housing for future generations of Goans.
Several villagers spoke out against the project. Robert Colaco, a former panchayat member, highlighted the ecological risks, noting that the area, including Cansa Hill where the project is proposed, is part of a social forestry program and is home to wildlife, including leopards. While emphasizing that they had nothing against the educational institution itself, Colaco said the village opposed development at the cost of the environment.
Mollie D'Silva, a resident, asserted that the local panchayat had the constitutional authority to overrule projects that were against the community’s welfare. Many residents vowed to take to the streets in protest if the government tried to force the project through.
Rahul Mhambre, a former AAP leader from Tivim, warned that the government might attempt to push the project despite opposition, urging residents to be prepared for public protests. Former Sarpanch Premnath Maulingkar affirmed the villagers' right to defend their land, stating that the fight would continue.
Tivim’s Sarpanch, Venkatesh Shirodkar, assured residents that the panchayat would stand by the community, even appointing legal representation if necessary to prevent the project from moving forward.
