TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: After exploring three sites for shifting of the National Institute of Technology (NIT), the government has finally settled for land in Quepem for the institute.
Ponda and Polem in Canacona were the other sites that were examined.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said he would initiate land acquisition proceedings shortly in order to ensure that land is made available to set up the NIT.
Earlier, the government had finalized on a stretch of land in Quepem, however due to opposition from locals, the government allowed section 4 of the act to lapse.
Later, the government suggested land in Polem in Canacona, but the Centre said that the site was too far from an airport or from a railway station so it was abandoned.
“Finally we settled for another stretch of land in Quepem, which is due to be acquired now. They were demanding 300 acres of land, however we have bargained and brought it down to 120 acres,” Parrikar said.
National Institute of Technology Goa (NITG) was set up in
For the permanent campus, an area of 300 acres, spanning from Cuncolim to Balli, was first identified by the state but the project ran into trouble when locals objected to the proposal.
Chief Minister Parrikar reiterated that no land will be given to the institute if 50% reservation is not provided for Goan students – a demand he had made earlier. The Government of India finally decided to reserve 50 per cent seats exclusively for Goan students in NITG from academic year 2012-13.
The chief minister also agreed to extend the retirement age of lecturers to 65 based on recommendations of the College as well as subject to the approval by a committee.
The decision he said was taken to help tide over the shortage of teachers in Colleges and in Higher Education Institutes across the state.
We earlier sought that the retirement age of lecturers be raised to 65, but then it was realised that along with the good lecturers the bad lecturers too would get an extension, we decided grant extension to only some, Parrikar said.
He however said he was opposed to the idea of making teachers jobs permanent as they would then lose their responsibility towards the students.
He also sought that college lecturers engage themselves in consultancy for industry.
In the state very few have tried to earn consultancy from industry. Lecturers should get fellowships from industry for research. This is how universities should grow, if there is job permanency there is no responsibility towards students, Parrikar said.
He debunked the cut motion moved by the Opposition that he has failed to increase the number of seats in various disciplines such as engineering, medicine and other technical and postgraduate fields taking into consideration increase of population of
