I am reminded of an incidence of the 1970’s when I was a ship’s Captain. My ship was in Australia where I met a successful Australian of Goan Origin who was visiting my Ship. Indeed he was very happy to see a young Goan in command of a ship. His first impression was one of Joy and later one of utter disbelief. Upon learning that I was from Loliem, he blurted out “ Tum Loliem-cho Captain Kosso zalo re? To ganv Ran mure” (How did you from Loliem manage to become a Captain? That place is a forest.)
Yes beautiful Loliem nestled between undulating hills and valleys is a blessed with a lot of natural bounty. The last village on the Southern border of Goa, lay almost forgotten to any development or for that matter any basic facilities that one can see in most of the villages in Goa. But apparently Providence had better plans for Loliem. Loliem may have been the last but certainly not the least.
If the Government’s plan to set up an IIT in Loliem does materialize, Loliem will soon be on the world map of some of the best Institutions in the world. Ever since pre-liberation days, Goa has been well known for its Mining Industry . With Liberation came the Tourists in their hordes- Hippies, Chartered tours, domestic tourists, Five star hotels, the slums and the shanties, Sex tourism, Wedding venues, Casinos –both ashore and afloat, beach side shacks, high property values, and of course the crime factors of drug abuse, murders and fatal accidents. Goans in a way were never mentally prepared for such shock treatment. This and more of such activities including the lack of vision of our Political leaders, caused a loss of faith in the system ,amongst our people.
Any major projects that came up in recent times, such as the Konkan Railways, Development of the Ports, Nylon 66, Meta-strips, Mopa Airport, Off shore Casinos, DEFEXPO, development of Highways, etc. have at some time or the other been opposed by our people. And now, we have the proposed IIT at Loliem. The fortunate part is that Loliem has remained free of the dreaded industries like Mining and Tourism. Indeed to think that Loliem could be the “educational hub” of Goa in due course of time is something that one could be proud of.
However it is necessary to look into some of the negative points raised with regard to the IIT by our people. For any project to be successful one must look into all aspects of the proposal. It would be incorrect for anyone to brush off the concerns expressed by the locals who have been enjoying the bounty of nature and the lush and lull of the place for the last few centuries. Change after all though inevitable, is not easily acceptable. Some of the points that the locals are worried about are as follows:
CAMPUS AREA: I am given to understand that the Bagwati plateau stretches over an area of about 400 Hectares (40 Lac Sq Meters or 1000 acres). Of this 120 Hectares (12 Lac Sq Meters or 300 Acres) of land is proposed to be acquired by the Government for the IIT campus. There is a belief that this is too much. If we look at some of the IIT’s located at some of the places in India we will realize that this is not too big for an Institute of Top caliber. IIT Kharagpur has an area of 2100 acres, IIT Bombay 550 Acres, IIT Kanpur 1055 acres, IIT Madras 620 acres, The smallest Campus so far is at Delhi with 320 acres. Loliem will have the honour of being the smallest IIT in India.
POPULATION INFUSION: The present population of Loliem is around 4800 people with 1250 families. Indeed the population has actually decreased from about 5000 at the time of Liberation to its present count. It is understood by the locals that IIT will bring in a population of about 15,000 people to the village. Indeed this is frightening. But this is not likely to happen all of a sudden. If we see some of the biggest IIT’s in the country the picture becomes a lot more clearer. IIT Kharagpur 7000 students & 470 staff. Bombay 8000 students 565 staff, Kanpur 6500 students, Madras 8000 students & 550 staff. These are some of the bigger institutes. Some of the newer Institutes such as Hyderabad has 900 Students with 170 staff, Patna has 439 students with 66 staff, Indore has 465 students Palakkad has 120 students. Hence it can be seen that the Institutes themselves take a long time to grow and it could take the IIT at Loliem as much as 20-25 years before there can be a sizeable student strength at the institute.
ENVIRONMENT: Some of our locals are afraid that the sewage created by the campus will be let loose to the residents and the valleys below. With today’s technology available in the STP (Sewage Treatment Plants) sector this is hardly a problem. It is un-imaginable that an Institute of the IIT caliber will let out their sewage into the open. The village Panchayat or a monitoring body can easily see that such an activity is kept well under control.
WATER SUPPLY: It is a fact that the availability of clean water in Loliem leaves much to be desired. There was a time when the locals used to draw water from their well which never used to run dry. The fact is that the natural water bodies were always full with water. These water bodies used to charge the ground water throughout the year. Of late all these water bodies have run dry. The perennial streams have got clogged due to siltation. During the months of March to May the wells are mostly dry. The water supplied through the taps runs for only about half an hour each day which at times is reduced to each alternate day. Here the question arises- when the local residents do not have enough water for themselves how is the Government going to feed water to the institute. It is understood that the Government is creating a separate water supply to the Institute. In this regard it would go a long way if the Government arranges to give equal and sincere treatment to the local residents too.
Destruction of forest cover: If one checks the Google map of the plateau in question, it can be seen that the Bhagvati Plateau is mainly a rocky area with very little vegetation. Except on the slopes there has not been any economic activity by way of any horticultural produce. On the other hand Loliem has large expanses of paddy fields which used to be cultivated till about 20 years ago. These are lying fallow for want of workers and high labour costs. Some locals are even worried that the grazing grounds of the cattle on Bhagvati plateau will be lost. Fact is there is hardly any cattle left in Loliem. A few cows and buffaloes are there are generally found roaming on the highways. It is learnt that every month at least two cows die on the highway at Loliem and with no one to claim them the Panchayat is left with the task of burying these carcasses at the cost of over Rs.1000/- each.
MEDICAL FACILITIES: The IIT will surely have their own medical facility. Considering that the village of Loliem has no basic medical facility except for one or two visiting Doctors, the IIT medical facility could be extended to the locals in case of emergencies and this will go a long way in promoting the health of the people.
SPORTS FACILITY: Other than a football ground at Dapot, Loliem really lacks any decent facility for games other than foot ball or cricket. With the IIT coming, interested children should be given a chance to involve in other games such as Basket-ball, Volleyball,Tennis, Swimming, Badminton, Squash, Table tennis, etc. This will go a long way in building up relationship with the locals and also developing local talent.
EMPLOYMENT: For over Fifty years since Liberation Bhagvati Plateau was a forgotten piece of land. Now with the coming of the IIT it could be a lifeline to the locals of Loliem. An IIT will need workers. For the well qualified- may be the higher posts but other jobs such as suppliers, transport workers, food production, Electricians, Security, Gardeners, Hygiene workers, etc. will always be needed and if our people are ready to work, locals will always be preferred- as in any organization. For the visiting Parents and others, there will be demand for local accommodation and food.
To conclude it is necessary that the people of Loliem take a practical look into this proposed development. Recently the Goa Institute of Management set up their facility at Sanquelim. I know many Goans who are getting admission into this prestigious institution and when they pass out they get picked up for high salaries. The Navodaya at Canacona is a classic example of how locals are benefitted by such a school. If some years ago the locals had refused this institute would it have been fair to our children? The BITS Pilani is doing wonderful work in Vasco Da Gama. Today many Goan Children are able to excel in their fields through this institute. A similar IIT is planned at Dharwar in Karnataka. The people have accepted it with open arms. But they have a problem. The people in neighbouring district of Gulbarga are demanding an IIT for their area. When such a good gift has fallen in our lap – would it be right for us to refuse it.
As Shakespeare said “ There is a tide in the lives of men, which when taken at the flood leads on to fortune” people of Loliem, this is your time – Arise and grab it.
