This is with reference to the news report ‘CM: Govt serious about IIT, committee to study options' (TGE, Jan 19). Wisdom, it seems, has finally dawned upon the BJP government in Goa to scrap the controversial IIT project in Melauli and appoint a select committee of experts in the educational field to decide upon the setting up of a new IIT campus site by taking the people into confidence. While the need for an IIT in Goa cannot be denied or downplayed if the State is to become self-reliant, it is not only the opposition parties that are opposing development projects and crying foul, but surprisingly, even one of the BJP MLAs who has gone on record saying that “we cannot afford to gift precious land in Goa for setting up an Institution that hardly benefits Goan students or create jobs for Goan teaching staff”. The case of BITS Pilani - Goa which is run on similar lines as that of an IIT is a classic example. If this is the case, then it becomes necessary to reserve at least 50 per cent seats for Goans studying in the State and another few posts for Goan teaching staff.
