Panaji, Oct 30 (IANS): A local panchayat at Rivona in Sanguem constituency of South Goa, where land for construction of an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has been identified, on Sunday gave green signal for the project during a gram sabha.

Speaking to IANS, Sanguem MLA and state minister Subhash Phaldesai, said that the panchayat has passed a unanimous resolution to go ahead with the IIT project.

“Around 300 people were present at the gram sabha, and all of them supported the project. This is a big slap on those who were creating false narratives about the IIT project. I am very happy with the resolution taken by the Rivona panchayat as it will help locals and the state to achieve the goal of becoming an educational hub,” he said, adding that all the doubts of the people have been cleared.

“Some had tried to convince the people that this project will create problems, but the people didn’t fall prey to them,” he said.

In the second week of October, South Goa Collector Asvin Chandru had issued a public notice in this regard, stating that “land in Rivona village is needed or is likely to be needed for setting up a permanent campus of IIT Goa".

The land identified measures around 10 lakh sq mt.

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

While working towards making Goa an educational hub, the government also faced agitation while providing land to such a big educational project.

Initially, land was identified at Canacona in South Goa, which was cancelled on account of protest.

Later, land was identified in Shel-Melauli in North Goa, but the affected people agitated saying it would destroy the environment.

Bowing to public pressure, the project in Shel-Melauli was cancelled and later land for the project was identified at Cotarli in Sanguem. But there too the locals raised objections following which the government identified a new site in Rivona.