Team Herald
PONDA: Former PWD Minister and Marcaim MLA Sudin Dhavalikar has appealed to the the State government to set up the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) project in his constituency near Goa College of Engineering (GEC), if the project is opposed elsewhere in State.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Sudin was addressing media persons after distributions of immunity booster tablets and tree saplings at GEC campus, Farmagudi.
“For this, the State government administration including the Education Department, Technical Education and other stakeholders should come forward to achieve. If the IIT project is realised, then Farmagudi could become an ideal educational hub as there’s already the Pharmacy College, PES College, GVM College, besides GEC, National Institute of Technology (NIT) and Industrial Training Institute (ITI),” he added.
Speaking further, Dhavalikar said, “I was active along with Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, then Chief Minister (late) Manohar Parrikar for bringing NIT, IIT institutions in Goa. That time when it was finalised to set up these two institutions, there was a question about land availability. However, I stepped forward and NIT was set up at Farmagudi.”
“I had even offered three-lakh square metres land at Farmagudi for IIT. However, there was demand for more than nine lakh square metres of land for setting up IIT in Goa. At that time, around three-lakh square metres land was available at Farmagudi. I had put up a proposal for IIT by constructing a ground plus two floor building. Besides, I had also put up a proposal before Parrikar that besides this land, another 1.5 lakh square metres of land was located by the side of ITI, which could be acquired for future expansion for IIT,” he added.
“Similarly, there is 1.5 lakh square metres of land by the side of the road passing from GEC to Priol, which can be acquired. However, I don’t know what had happened to this proposal. Since the demand was for nine lakh square metres land, the IIT project could not realised at Farmagudi at that time,” he mentioned.
“If the IIT project is opposed elsewhere then it should be brought to Farmagudi where the existing three lakh sq mts of government land and the additional 1.5 lakh sq mts land near ITI can be acquired for expansion along with nother 1 lakh sq mts of land that is located by the side of GEC road leading to Priol,” Sudin added.
