Farmers Movement Archive

Rane has offered to find a new site for IIT in Sattari: Cong

Panaji: Former chief minister Pratapsingh Rane has offered to find a new site for Goa IIT within Sattari, said state Congress president Girish Chodankar as he reiterated that the party is not against the project but the IIT campus coming up at Shel Melauli where farmers will be dispossessed of their land. Chodankar said that industries minister Vishwajit Rane and chief minister Pramod Sawant were adamant on getting the project built at Shel Melauli as the two stood to gain through land deals. “We want the IIT to come up where the flora and fauna is not damaged, where fields are not taken away. There is so much barren land in Goa where farmers are not affected,” Chodankar said while addressing the locals who held a protest meet on Sunday. He said that he had spoken to Pratapsingh Rane, the Poriem MLA, who is also against the project coming up at Shel Melauli. “Pratapsingh Rane has shown willingness to find another location for the project if the government reaches out to him. He said that even if the government wants the project in Sattari, he will find a place where the project can come up without affecting farmers,” Chodankar said. Chodankar slammed the state government for trying to intimidate the farmers and locals. “The government is using its power to transfer government officials but they cannot transfer an entire village,” he added. During the meeting,Congress also raised the issue about the three farm bills introduced by the Centre.

The Times of India

2020-10-12

Goa