Chief Minister of Goa, Pramod Sawant announced that the government will go ahead with setting up IIT Goa at Melaulim on November 3, 2020.

Sawant stated that the agitators will be convinced and people who are using the land for farming could do it at different locations.

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The government will be providing them with alternate land and Swawant further added that hardly any land at the site is being used for cultivation.

The government of Goa now owns 10 lakh sq.m of land in Melaulim and there are no trees in them. The government is having a talk with the villagers of Melaulim and are trying to convince them.

However, no decision has been taken yet to shift the Indian Institute of Technology, Goa, and set up at Melaulim.

The local people of the area have started to protest after the proposal of IIT Goa stating that it is a biodiversity rich area with excellent forest cover.

The villagers stated that they grow horticultural crops in the area which is their main livelihood. The proposal of IIT Goa would post a threat to their livelihood.

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Many politicians supported the villagers and voiced out their opinion. Michael Lobo, the minister of science and technology met Sawant and demanded that IIT Goa should be shifted out of Melaulim since the villagers are not convinced with the proposal.

Vinay Tendulkar, former BJP state president stated that if the villagers continue to protest against IIT Goa, then the government should shift the project to Farmagudi by acquiring open space.

The chief minister of Goa, Sawant has appointed a committee of 15 members to solve the issue as stated by Vinay Tendulkar.

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