Team Herald
PANJIM: Tivim Village Panchayat gram sabha which is scheduled to be held on Sunday is likely to turn stormy over the issue of land given to World Peace University. Despite opposition, the Tivim Comunidade went on to sign an agreement with World Peace University to part with two lakh square metres of land.
Likeminded Goans and social activists have started awareness campaigns in Tivim to garner support to push back the plan of having the university in the village. Mollie Da Gama Silva who is leading the awareness meetings along with other villagers and organisations has said that the villagers are not against education or development. “Our Goa University rating has been dropping by the day. Why can't our beloved Chief Minister Pramod Sawant upgrade our Goa University?” she asked.
“A lot of flat land is available in Sakhali and Bicholim where the private university can be built. Why destroy our beautiful Tivim which adds beauty to our quaint little village? she asked. “Why destroy our ecosystem and create a demographic shift? Why disturb the habitat of the beautiful wildlife we are proud of. Will the water and electricity load be sufficient when a new township is built in our 6.33 lakh sqmts land which is illegally leased for 99 years as good as sold, asked the villagers of Tivim,” said Silva.
Villagers have informed that there are over 700 applications for want of land from the villagers who are ready to buy land for households at Rs 10,000 per sqmtrs. “Why was the land given for
Rs 250 bypassing the needs of villagers, ” Godfrey D'Lima asked. “What remains for our future generations if the Communidade Committee keeps selling the ancestral land preserved by our Tivim ancestors,” questioned D’lima.
Villagers have reasserted that whatever the situation is no institution or any other project will come on the land.