TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: The government has finally decided to restrict the land for the proposed National Institute of Technology (NIT) to 4.56 lakh sq.mts, even as officials of the forest and agricultural departments have got down to the business of assessing and valuing the land sought to be acquired for the educational institute.
Initially, the government had mooted the proposal to acquire around six lakh sq .mts of land for the NIT project, before taking the final call to restrict to 4,56,767 sq.mts. Sources informed that the government has taken the decision to drop certain portion of the land under acquisition since the land in question was coming with the canal area, besides the Cuncolim police station area and a crematorium.
Land acquisition officer Umakhant Kachankar has also conducted site inspection of the land proposed for acquisition and has asked the forest and agriculture officials to conduct a survey and valuation of the trees standing on the land in question. “Once this process is completed, a report will be prepared and submitted to the government to issue notification under Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act,” Umakhant told herald.
The Land acquisition officer said his office has already sent a report to the government after hearing the 20-odd objections opposing the land acquisition, including a questionnaire received from the Cuncolim Municipal Council.
The government, however, appears firm in its decision to acquire the land for the proposed NIT. In his Republic Day address at the South Goa district headquarters, Salcete’s lone Minister, Avertano Furtado openly batted for the National Institute of Technology project.
Avertano had said the setting up of the National Institute of Technology in the State would not only help create necessary infrastructure for technical education, but would also provide impetus and boost to students in pursuit of higher education within the state.
