GG News Bureau
Panaji, 13th September. The proposed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in Goa sparked a protest from local farmers who claimed the state government was acquiring land for it without their permission.
Following a farmers’ protest in the Sanguem area of South Goa district on Monday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant stated that some people have a habit of unnecessarily opposing projects.
On Monday, Sawant told reporters in the state capital Panaji that the land where the IIT was proposed belonged to the government and that the project would not cause any injustice.
Farmers demonstrated after a team of state revenue officials visited Sanguem to demarcate land for the new IIT Goa campus.
A team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Nilesh Rane tried to pacify the farmers, but they continued to protest.
Farmers have been hesitant to give their land to the project.
We’ve been growing paddy in the area where the government wants to build the IIT Goa campus. A woman farmer told police, “We don’t want IIT.”
She claimed that the state government was acquiring land without the consent of farmers who had been farming on it for generations.
Other protesters have stated that they will not allow the demarcation process to continue at the site.
According to a senior police official, the Sanguem police have filed a case against the protesting farmers for obstructing land demarcation work.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sawant stated that some people were unnecessarily opposing projects.
The government owns the land where the IIT is proposed. Some people are simply encroaching on the land, he said, adding that people should avoid negative thinking.
We will make certain that no one is treated unfairly. According to the chief minister, if someone is a tenant or has a document proving his/her (land) ownership, they can submit it to the district collector.
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