Tribal welfare min’s help sought to thwart IIT at Codar

Ponda: Residents of Codar on Friday met tribal welfare minister Ramesh Tawadkar seeking his intervention in convincing state govt to withdraw its decision of setting up the IIT-Goa campus in their village.

A group of villagers comprising Dnyaneshwar Khandeparkar, Gautam Kodarkar, Mahadev Gaude and Satish Gaude submitted its request to the minister while urging him to visit the village to understand the matter and to ascertain the reasons the local people were opposed to the establishment of the institute there.

Khandeparkar later told reporters that Tawadkar acceded their request to visit the village.

Earlier in the day, another group of villagers led by Vishram Gaonkar submitted a representation to the local panchayat and the block development officer seeking that an extraordinary gram sabha be called to discuss the proposed IIT-Goa campus.

Gaonkar said sarpanch and panchayat secretary assured the group that the gram sabha will be called for next month.

On Thursday, South Goa MP Capt Viriato Fernandes had visited Codar to express solidarity with the villagers opposing the setting up of the educational institute there.