TEAM HERALD
PONDA: After waiting for over three years, the Ministry for Human Resource Development (MHRD) seems to have lost patience and is reportedly contemplating to relocate National Institute of Technology (NIT) to a neighbouring state if Goa government is unable to provide land for the project within 30 days.
According to reports, the office of the MHRD last week wrote to the State government asking to transfer 120 acres of land at Cuncolim and failing to do so within 30 days will compel the ministry to shift the institute out of the State.
Founded in 2010, NIT (Goa) was one of the 10 newly set up NITs by the Union Human Resources Ministry during the 11th Five Year Plan. During the first two years, NIT functioned from GEC and later, much of its premises were shifted in the old ITI building at Farmagudi, where the NIT spend about Rs 2 crore on renovation and other works of the building.
When contacted, NIT-Goa Director G R C Reddy admitted that the ministry is contemplating to move out of the State. “I have beentold by the ministry to locate land elsewhere, out of Goa and we will start the process soon if the State government doesn’t provide us the land,” said Reddy without divulging any more details.
According to sources, the MHRD has raised concern as it is becoming difficult to run NIT-Goa in a temporary shelter due to insufficient space and lack of infrastructure. MHRD in the letter to the State government also claimed that the institute fails to attract quality faculty due to improper infrastructure.
Presently, NIT-Goa has three courses in engineering and the fourth academic session (2013-14) of the institute has already commenced. Sources claimed that lack of proper infrastructure is also delaying plans of the institute to start more engineering courses.
