CUNCOLIM: At a time when nobody was willing to sacrifice their land to establish the National Information Technology (NIT) complex, Cuncolim agreed to give its land on promise that the local youth will find jobs at this institute.
It may be recalled that when then chief minister late Manohar Parrikar sought to set up NIT on lush green hilly land of the town, there were objections. However, following then BJP MLA Rajan Naik’s promise that besides offering jobs to locals at the institute, it would also put the town on global map, the people relented.
Cuncolim was assured that first priority will be given to locals while recruiting all D class posts like Multi Tasking Staff, Lab Assistants and Security Personnel and qualified people from the town would be recruited in the administration section.
Now that the premises are constructed near the Cuncolim Police Station and a convocation ceremony was even held in January this year, youth are now asking when they will get the jobs promised to them or at least when the available posts will be advertised.
BJP leaders who had in the past addressed press conferences and assured of the jobs are now being questioned by locals and the matter was even discussed at the Cuncolim BJP Mandal meeting recently.
However former BJP MLA Rajan Naik who had assured that Cuncolim residents would be given priority while recruiting staff was unable to answer when asked about this at the Mandal meeting.
Clafasio Dias who though elected as a Congress MLA, defected to the BJP and was defeated as the BJP candidate at the last assembly elections, was also unable to give any answer.
Present MLA and Leader of Opposition Yuri is flooded with local youth giving their bio-data and applications for jobs at the NIT said it was time for the BJP government and its leaders from Cuncolim to answer the people.
“It appears that the promises made earlier are thrown in the dustbin and the present government is not interested in delivering what was promised by the previous government now that the NIT has got its premises,” said Sangita Naik an unemployed girl from Cumcolim.
Incidentally, Sangita has done her post graduation in Accountancy and is looking forward to get employed in the administration department of the institute.
Similarly, Nazir Shaikh who has passed his SSC and was hoping to be recruited as MTS is also disappointed as not a single person from Cuncolim is recruited till now at this institute which will be housed in the town.
“All the engineers and supervisors involved in the construction were non-Goans and will the BJP keep its promise of recruiting locals?” asked one desperate youngster.
The question asked by many is whether Cuncolim sacrificed its land without any benefit for the locals as this was just another scam by the BJP to achieve its goal of providing permanent campus for NIT in Goa.