16 Jan 2021  |   05:21am IST

GOVERNMENT BOWS DOWN TO PEOPLE’S DEMAND

GOVERNMENT BOWS DOWN TO PEOPLE’S DEMAND

Shel-Melauli will not be the site of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant announced that keeping in mind the people’s sentiments and the request of the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, the IIT Goa project at Melauli has been cancelled. That’s a big decision for the Goa government that had been adamant on locating of the institute at Melauli despite the months of protests in the village that spilled over to other villages in the vicinity and descended to some violence last week. It was after this that the local MLA Rane wrote to the Chief Minister seeking that the institute be shifted. On January 15, Rane along with people, panch, sarpanch of Sattari met the Chief Minister and the decision to scrap the IIT Goa project at Shel-Melauli was announced.

Having now taken the decision to shift the institute from Melauli, the government has two other important decisions to make. One is identifying an alternative plot of land for the institute and preparing it for the IIT to come up. The Chief Minister has said they will decide where to shift the institute in the coming days. A number of sites are available. Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral who is also a minister has already offered land in Curchorem-Sanguem for the institute. Land in this area had been considered but before it could be finalised the government had decided to give the IIT a home in Shel-Melauli. It was after this land was handed over to the IIT that the protests began. 

This is not the only piece of land that is available for consideration. There are other plots in various places that the government can consider for the IIT. Suggestions have already been made of the SEZ land and the land that had been earmarked for the IT park at Dona Paula. The decision, however, has to be taken without wasting any further time. The IIT has been functioning for the past five years in Goa and it requires a place of its own. Delaying the decision on the land allotment will neither be in the interest of the IIT nor of the State. This long saga of searching for a site needs closure, so that the IIT can function from its own campus.

However, the government has to also tread carefully on indentifying the new site. The approval of the site has to come from the grassroots. For that, the people of the area should be taken into confidence, the project explained to them and only when there is complete concurrence should the new site be announced and handed over to the IIT. A new location cannot be announced without having the backing of the people, as it could easily lead to another agitation, which at this point of time will not benefit anybody. Whatever decision on new land is taken, requires to be very circumspect and after weighing all the pros and cons.

The other decision that the government has to take on a very immediate basis is whether to withdraw the criminal cases that have been filed or not. A request to do has been made and the Chief Minister has said that it will also be discussed. The cases that have been filed are very strong, of attempt to murder against the people. It could put the future of many into jeopardy and so this needs some clear thinking from those in power. There was violence, police were attacked and there were injuries, but whether this requires such a harsh section of the law to be applied is debatable. If this is done, then the chapter of Shel-Melauli in the IIT location saga will get closed.


IDhar UDHAR

Idhar Udhar