4-member panel to decide new site for IIT campus in Goa: CM

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawanton Monday said his government will set up a four-membercommittee to decide a new location for the construction of theproposed IIT campus in the state, following opposition fromlocals to the previous site.

Bowing to public pressure, the Goa government lastweek announced that the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)campus, which was proposed to set up at Shel-Melaulim villagein Sattari taluka of North Goa district, will be shifted toanother part of the coastal state.

Talking to reporters on Monday, Sawant said the Goagovernment is all set to establish an IIT campus in the stateand has not yet finalised a site for the project.

''We will constitute a four-member committee which willgo through various sites available for the proposed IITcampus,'' he said without divulging any further details.

''We will see the land options available for theproject. We don't want a similar problem to recur when wefinalise a new site,'' he said, referring to protests byresidents of the Shel-Melaulim village earlier this month.

Taking a jibe at his opponents, Sawant said those whowere ready to sell the state for their own interest are nowcriticising the present government over its schemes.

The CM said his government's 'Swayampoorna Goa' schemeis taking people towards a ''self-sufficient lifestyle''.

The IIT project in Goa has been opposed by the Shel-Melaulim village residents, who are not willing to part withtheir land for the campus.

On Thursday, Sawant held a meeting with sarpanchs(village heads) and zilla panchayat members from Sattaritaluka in the presence of state Health Minister and Valpoi MLAVishwajit Rane.

The chief minister later said the state government hasdecided to shift the project out of Sattari due to theconstant opposition from locals.

The project was planned from the perspective ofdevelopment, but the state government could not convincelocals, he had said.

Earlier, Rane had also appealed to Sawant to shift theproject considering the opposition to it, and urged him towithdraw cases registered against protesters.

At least 12 policemen and several locals were injuredwhen they clashed in a forest area near the Shel-Melaulimvillage earlier this month.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)