Team Herald
SANGUEM: The State government seems to be once again toying with the proposal of setting up IIT at Sanguem and the process is reportedly underway at a slow place at the government level.
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Since last many days, phone calls are reportedly being made by the officials attached to the Sanguem Mamlatdar office for the farmers having paddy fields at Kharkhatiaghati, Sanguem, enquiring about whether they are interested in selling their fields.
On Friday, one such farmer, who received a phone call from the Mamlatdar office, informed Herald that the officer wanted to know whether they are interested in selling their paddy fields at Kharkhatiaghati.
However, on being informed that they are not interested in selling the land, the official reportedly informed the farmer to come to the office with all his documents for verification of his title. Similar phone calls are also being received by other farmers, informed sources.
Incidentally, when the government had first proposed setting up of the IIT project at Sanguem after its opposition at Canacona, the farmers had strongly opposed the project at Kharkhatiaghati as it would cause substantial damage to the environment and ecology, besides, totally destroying the paddy fields and other agricultural plantations in the area.
The farmers had offered litanies and also had called on the local deities praying better sense prevail among the government functionaries and letting them realise the destruction the IIT project would lead if permitted at Kharkhatiaghati.
Given the strong opposition by the farming community, the project was scrapped from Sanguem and was shifted to Sattari, where once again it was opposed by the people from Sattari, making the project remain only in black and white on paper as of date.
Recently, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant at a function held at Netravali, Sanguem had announced that the IIT project would come up in Sanguem and given the enquiry process commenced at the Sanguem Mamlatdar Office, it seems certain that the government is planning to get it back at Kharkhatiaghati where it was earlier opposed by the farming community.
While considering setting up of the project at Kharkhatiaghati, it is advantage government, as it owns over nine lakhs of square metres of land in the area including the mountain which forms the border of Sanguem Taluka with neighbouring Quepem Taluka.
