Site selection team expected soon to inspect Sanguem land for IIT campus

Panaji: Social welfare minister and Sanguem MLA Subhash Phal Dessai said on Wednesday that a team from the Union education ministry will soon visit Sanguem to inspect the proposed land for IIT-Goa’s permanent campus. Around 7.5 lakh sqm of government land has been shortlisted by the state for the project, which is yet again facing opposition from some locals.
“The team has to come now. Demarcation of land has been completed and the plans have been prepared. At the moment, some back office work is being completed. The IIT will come up at Sanguem, there is no two ways about it,” said Phal Dessai.
He reiterated that there is no truth to claims by a group of Sanguem locals that they have their farms in the demarcated land.
“Anyone who is opposing the project, if he or she owns any land there, should submit the papers to the government. Let them point out their so-called farms. If they are able to show at least one acre of land with yield or one coconut tree to me, then I will take back the entire project. The entire 7.5 lakh sqm belongs to the government,” said Phal Dessai.
He said that 95% of the land cannot be rejected for the project just due to some encroachments on less than 5% of the land.
“Those farms are on the fringes of the government land where the IIT is coming up. They have encroached onto the government land. Even these persons have been offered a settlement by the government. The encroachments are not even 5% of the land. You cannot oppose the project in 95% of the land for less than 5% of the land,” said Phal Dessai.
He said after the government had called upon those laying claim to the land to submit their papers for a settlement, none have come forward yet with their documents.