After facing stiff opposition at several sites, the proposed permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Technology-Goa (IIT-Goa) is now likely to come up at Codar, Ponda, on around 14.63 lakh sq. m of Comunidade land falling under Bethora-Nirankal-Codar Panchayat.
Earlier, plans to set up the institute at the Sanjivani Sugar Factory land in Dharbandora were shelved following protests by locals, who submitted a memorandum to the government claiming that the livelihoods of tribal communities would be affected.
Social activist Swapnesh Sherlkar, citing a public notice published on August 19, by the Administration of Comunidade Central Zone, Panjim, warned that tribal tenants in Codar could now face displacement. “My role is to awaken Goans. I urge tribals and their leaders to look into this matter,” he said.
The notice stated that the barren, rocky plot under Survey No. 63/2 of Village Codar has been applied for perpetual lease (aforamento) to establish IIT-Goa’s permanent campus. The applicant is the Directorate of Technical Education, Alto-Porvorim.
The land is bounded to the north by Survey Nos. 37/2, 37/5, 37/6, 37/4, 37/8, 38, 39/1 to 39/5, 63/1 and 43/5; and to the south by Survey Nos. 73/0, 64/0, 65/0, 71/0, 68/1, 68/2, a nalla, a road, the Nirankal village boundary and part of 63/2 under tenancy.