WEDNESDAY, MAY 08, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM/Margao: Eyebrows were raised in Sanguem on Wednesday following the statement made by Sanguem MLA and Minister for Social Welfare Subhash Phal Dessai on Tuesday that an alternate site had been chosen for the contentious IIT campus. Inquiries done by O Heraldo revealed that the proposed site was well within the remote Rivona village, which is well known for vast agricultural plantations and mining ore pits.
Sources in Rivona village informed of sudden movements in recent times in an agricultural farm in the village spread over 6 lakh square metres of land and in the adjoining lands, which are reportedly held as mining leases by two big-time mining firms from Goa.
O Heraldo has also learnt that the agricultural land is privately owned by a non-Goan family from North India and negotiations with the government through a third party are on.
A farmer from Rivona village, speaking on the conditions of anonymity, informed that of the six lakh square metres of land, around 2 lakh square metres is under exclusive plantation of coconut and areca nut trees.
The locals are reportedly getting ready to fight for their rights since they have been in possession of this land for decades together. They wondered what was preventing the government from officially declaring the site if it had already been finalised, as claimed by Phal Dessai.
It is pertinent to note that in the recent past at public meetings in Sanguem, Phal Dessai gave clear signals that the project was slated to come up close to the minister’s native place.
The villagers from Rivona got a hint of the project making a possible headway in their village after the long-standing coconut and areca nut plants were numbered, allegedly for its felling. However, there hasn’t been much development after the trees were numbered.
Inquiries revealed that adjacent to the little over 6 lakh square metres of land owned by a private party, a vast chunk of adjoining lands are owned by two long-time mining firms from Goa.
A local from Rivona village informed that talks are reportedly in process with these mining firms to part with their leasehold properties for the IIT project.
While the erstwhile proposed land for IIT at Cotarli Sanguem would have been available for the government free of cost, the land identified at Rivona will cost a substantial amount as it needs to be purchased from the private party for a considerable price.
Meanwhile, the locals who opposed the IIT project at Sanguem, informed that their main intention is to protect the farmlands.
Santano Rodrigues, who was one of the prime agitators for the IIT project at Sanguem, informed that the main intention to oppose the project at Sanguem was to protect the agricultural lands and the natural surroundings, which has been passed to them for generations together.
Rodrigues informed that their main intention when they led the agitation was not to permit the government to bulldoze their paddy fields and other agricultural plantations.
“Since the government has not declared the proposed site for the project, we will have to wait and watch as to where the government intends to dump the project. It is only once the site stands cleared, we will be in a position to decide our next course of action on the issue,” added Rodrigues.
Land for proposed IIT campus not yet finalised: CM
PANJIM: Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday clarified that the State government has not yet finalised the land for the proposed IIT campus and that the land is still being identified.
When asked whether the government had finalised 10 lakh square metres of land at Sanguem for setting up the proposed IIT
as stated by Social Welfare Minister Subhash Phal Dessai, the Chief Minister that the land is being identified and not yet finalised.
Phal Dessai had said that adequate land has been identified and finalised for the project and that at any point of time, there will be an official announcement from the department and by the Chief Minister by this month’s end.
