More join stir against Goa IIT; CM says ready for talks

The protest against the proposedIIT campus near a village in North Goa entered the seventh dayon Monday as people from nearby areas joined the stir whilethe state government ruled out scrapping the project, butextended an olive branch to agitators.Shel-Melaulim village in Sattari taluka of North Goadistrict has been the site of the protest against the proposedIIT Indian Institute of Technology in the area with localresidents insisting they will not part with their land for theproject.Hundreds of people from areas surrounding Shel-Melaulim joined the protest as they gathered in a nearbyforest.The fight is not against IIT campus.

The protest against the proposedIIT campus near a village in North Goa entered the seventh dayon Monday as people from nearby areas joined the stir whilethe state government ruled out scrapping the project, butextended an olive branch to agitators.

Shel-Melaulim village in Sattari taluka of North Goadistrict has been the site of the protest against the proposedIIT (Indian Institute of Technology) in the area with localresidents insisting they will not part with their land for theproject.

Hundreds of people from areas surrounding Shel-Melaulim joined the protest as they gathered in a nearbyforest.

The fight is not against IIT campus. It is aboutsaving our land for the posterity. People are not interestedin IIT campus because they want to save their land, saidShubham Shivolkar, a protester and resident of Shel-Melaulim.

Last week, at least 12 policemen and several villagerswere injured when they clashed in forest areas of Shel-Melaulim.

The villagers are opposing the land demarcationprocess initiated by the state government.

In Panaji, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said thegovernment is firm in its resolve to go ahead with the IITproject, but offered to initiate talks with protesters.

If agitators want, they can come to Panaji anddiscuss their issues with me. I am ready for discussion, hesaid.