Valpoi: Nearly a year after the State allocated land for a permanent IIT campus at Melauli, the villagers have voiced apprehension over the project, pointing out the location is a biodiversity-rich area.
Last year in August, the cabinet had approved land admeasuring around 10 lakh sqm of land in Melauli for the IIT project.
As per census records, around 81.38 hectares of the 1,629.14 hectares of land in Melauli is forested. Melauli is also located in close proximity to Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary and Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in its notification dated February 27, 2020, declared Melauli as an ‘ecologically sensitive area’ of the Western Ghats. The notification prohibits all new and expansion projects and constructions with a built-up area of 20,000sqm.
Villagers of Melauli, which is part of the Guleli panchayat in Sattari taluka, said they own cashew plantations at the project site.
“This is the only area in our village where excellent forest cover exists. Also, our villagers raise horticultural crops, which is the main source of livelihood for us. The proposed project will pose a threat to our livelihood”, said Shubham Shivolkar, a villager.
Guleli Village Panchayat said they have not received any letter opposing the IIT project till date. Villagers at the gram sabha had earlier requested for detailed information of the project. The area has cashew plantation, five houses belonging to the Dhangar community and the Jalmi Dev temple.
As per the letter sent to the panchayat by the Directorate of Technical Education on August 26, 2019, the project will directly and indirectly benefit locals, and help Goa transform into an educational hub.
Melauli village consists of Shel, Dhada, Paikul, Maiguini and Murmune, in which wildlife lovers have recorded the presence of the Sri Lankan frog mouth, Malabar pied hornbill, bison, leopard, five species of deer, Malabar giant squirrel, king cobra and other species of wildlife. The area is also has four perennial natural springs.
“This forest sustains our lives by recharging the water table, provides timber and other produce, while also maintaining soil fertility, ecological balance and reducing man-animal conflicts. Hence, we want this forest to be protected,” said another villager Ram Melekar.
Meanwhile, villagers recently invoked the blessing of the deity Jalmi Dev for giving them courage to oppose the proposed project. A memorandum was also submitted to government officials highlighting the discrepancies in the project approvals.
