Govt has no right to acquire private land for new IIT-Goa campus: Cong MP

South Goa Congress MP Francisco Sardinha on Friday said the state's BJP-led government has no right to acquire private land for a new Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Goa campus when barren land is available with the government.

“BJP government in Goa is trying to impose the destructive agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Goans. The BJP government has no right to acquire private land for IIT when barren land is available with the government,” the Congress leader said.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi's days are numbered now. Congress led INDIA bloc will form the government in 2024. We will scrap all anti-Goa, anti-environment projects initiated by the BJP government,” he said.

After facing stiff opposition to the IIT project at three sites, the Goa government has recently identified a fourth location at Rivona in Sanguem taluka.

South Goa collector Asvin Chandru A has issued a public notice in this regard stating, “Land in Rivona village of Sanguem is needed or is likely to be needed for setting up a permanent campus of IIT-Goa.” The land measures around 10 lakh sq m.

Set up in July 2016, the IIT Goa campus is temporarily housed in Goa Engineering College (GEC) in Ponda-South district.

While working on making Goa an educational hub, the government has also faced resistance while trying to provide land to such a big educational project.

Land was initially identified in Canacona in south Goa, which was discarded on account of protests. Later, another plot was identified in Shel-Melauli in Sattari taluka of north Goa, but the project had to be shelved owing to protests by locals citing environmental damage.

After the move to shift the project to Cotarli in Sanguem met with objections from the IIT site selection committee, the government has identified the new site in Rivona.