TEAM HERALD
PONDA: There seems no easy going for the National Institute of Technology (NIT) which was established in the State some three years ago.
After residents opposed setting up of NIT campus at Cuncolim in South Goa, now the proposed hostel project for the NIT students in Queula Panchayat in Ponda taluka has been opposed by the residents.
Citing nuisance, residents from Perigol in Queula Panchayat have raised objection to the proposed hostel project for the students of the NIT.
According to information, a private party is constructing a building which will be later used as a hostel for the students of NIT. Presently, the NIT functions from the campus of GEC and an ITI building at Farmagudi-Ponda.
Being a residential area, people fear that hostel where hundreds of students, especially from outside the State, will cause nuisance and have demanded that the authorities should not allow such projects in residential areas.
Residents from Perigol during a recent meeting unanimously opposed the said project.
The residents on Sunday convened another meeting, which was attended by PWD and Transport Minister Sudin Dhavlikar, Queula Sarpanch Rajesh Kavlekar and ward Panch Usha Naik.
Sarpanch Kavlekar said the panchayat is unaware whether the building will be used as a hostel for NIT students, however, he said the project had the required permissions from the authorities concerned.
“The building has approvals from the authorities concerned, but it is not known whether the building is for the NIT hostel. If residents do not want hostel here, then the panchayat will stand by the demands of the people,” assured Kavlekar.
Queula Panchayat comes under Marcaim constituency and its MLA and minister Sudin Dhavlikar assured the residents that the hostel will not come up at Perigol. “I will assure you that the hostel project won’t come up here at Perigol,” said Dhavlikar.
Meanwhile, the residents during the meeting raised issues of truck parking along the national highway at Dhavli and the nuisance caused due to wholesale liquor shops along the Dhavli NH bypass.
Residents claimed that customers are not entitled to drink at wholesale liquor shops, but here rules are broken as customers are often seen drinking outside the wholesale liquor outlets. Residents said it becomes difficult, especially for women, to pass along the route, especially at night.
Dhavlikar assured to look into the matters concerning the residents at the earliest.
