Panaji, July 30 Stating that every place identified for it ran into a problem, Goa Chief Minister on Saturday said that he is not promising, but will "surely" give a permanent campus of Indian Institute of Technology Goa (IIT Goa) shortly.
"I know that it is a long pending issue of IIT Campus.. It is a long story. All of you know it is always getting published in the newspaper, we have given places in Canacona, Sanguem, Sattaria every time a problem is coming in this (going ahead with project). This time I am not promising you anything, but I am telling you the one thing 'sure shot' we are giving you permanent campus within a short span of time," Sawant said, adding that he is really working on it.
Sawant was speaking during the third convocation of IIT-Goa.
Set up in July 2016, the IIT Goa campus is temporarily housed in Goa Engineering College(GEC) in Ponda.
While working towards making Goa an educational hub, the government also faced agitation while providing land to such a big educational project. When land for the IIT project was identified in Shel-Melauli in Sattari taluka of North Goa, the affected people agitated saying it would destroy the environment.
Bowing down to peoples pressure, it was cancelled and now land for the same is identified in Sanguem in South Goa. Here too, some people claiming farmers have opposed the project, but authorities have started the demarcation process.
Previously it was also cancelled in Canacona, in South Goa, on account of protest.
"It is our vision to support IIT Goa so it becomes the best technological institute in the country. As we all know that country is transforming in its educational policy. In this regard, IIT Goa will have to play a significant role in effective implementation of New Education Policy 2020 at grass root level," Sawant said.
"It was the dream of (former Chief Minister) Manohar Parrikar to establish IIT in Goa. He being an alumni of the IIT system, understood the transforming power of the top technology institute in overall development of the state," Sawant said.
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