PANAJI: More than two months after chief minister Pramod Sawant announced the formation of a team to identify a new site to set up the permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Goa, a land parcel is yet to be finalised by the team. Sources said the team, while combing for a suitable site, appear to have few choices, considering the requirement is of 250-300 acres of contiguous land with no encroachments.
With options running out, one of the proposals under consideration is to provide two separate parcels of land within a 2-10km radius to set up the IIT, sources said. As there are few such examples in the country of an IIT having two campuses, in order to make the compromise worthwhile for the IIT, state officials are considering providing these two land parcels within urban limits.
So far, the land parcels identified are located in interior areas like Dhargal in Pernem, Loliem in Canacona, Cotarli in Sanguem and Guleli in Sattari.
Those in the know said that if such a proposal of setting up the IIT on two different land parcels is finalised, it will be a tough task to convince the Union education ministry’s site selection committee about this choice. However, officials are thinking of providing the twin sites in a prime area like the outskirts of Panaji to make it a worthwhile deal.
“In such a case, all the classrooms, student facilities, administrative blocks, etc, will have to be located in the 100-acre plot. And the research facilities may be located in the second land area of around 50 acres,” a source said.
Already, understanding the land constraints of a small state like Goa, the institute had agreed earlier to bring down its requirement from 300 acres to 250 acres. Those in the know state that to bring down the requirement further to 150 acres, the land offered will have to be prime area, so that space for faculty accommodation, etc, can be saved by not constructing facilities for this purpose and, instead, renting out space in the nearby urban area.
Meanwhile, a contiguous plot of land in Bethoda is also under consideration. The option of locating the IIT’s permanent campus close to its temporary campus at Farmagudi is being given a thought as well, sources said. A site near the new airport at Mopa too is on the state’s radar.