About 500 public applications expressing opinions, concerns, and recommendations regarding the construction of a private university on a proposed two-lakh-square-meter plot owned by Comunidade of Tivim—an area designated for investment promotion—have been submitted to Tivim Panchayat.
The government has sent a memorandum to the panchayat regarding the proposed university. Subsequently, Tivim Sarpanch Venkatesh Shirodkar published a notice for the public telling people that M/S World Peace University, a member of the MIT Group of Institutions of the Maharashtra Academy of Engineering and Educational Research, has applied to the Goa Investment Promotion and Facilitation Board for permission to establish itself. The public was asked to provide feedback before Sep 25.
According to Shirodkar, the Director of Industries, Trade, and Commerce will receive the comments. He said that following discussions at the next fortnightly meeting of panchayat members, the panchayat will make a decision.
Rahul Mhambre, a former state convenor of the AAP and a resident of Tivim, filed an objection in which he urged the Chief Minister to reevaluate the land allocation for the private university in his capacity as head of the Goa Investment Promotion Board. Mhambre questioned the need for a private university on such a large scale, arguing that it would serve the interests of the elite class while ignoring the majority of students. He also said that land in Goa should serve public interests. Sanjay Barde, a social activist, also voiced criticism stating that limited land remains for Goans and that Comunidade land should be reserved for local needs.