Land deal linked to IIT campus costs Goa govt support of one MLA

A controversy stemming from alleged land deals linked to an upcoming IIT campus in Goa, has led to the BJP-led coalition government losing the support of one Independent MLA.

Prasad Gaonkar, an Independent MLA from the South Goa's Sanguem Assembly constituency, on Wednesday formally withdrew support to the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led coalition government. But the development should not in any way impact the ruling dispensation, which continues to have the support of 28 MLAs in a 40-member state legislative Assembly.

Gaonkar announced his withdrawal of support to the Goa government, after a verbal spat with the chief minister and top Bharatiya Janata Party office-bearers over the relocation of the Indian Institute of Technology project to his constituency of Sanguem, where Gaonkar on Monday had said, the campus could be set up on available land.

"The chief minister with his comments and the BJP has let me down by accusing me of doing land deals in the garb of the IIT campus. I have sent a formal letter withdrawing support to the current government to the Governor," Gaonkar said.

"I also request the chief minister to start an independent enquiry to prove if I have done any land deals in Sanguem. I only offered my constituency to set up the IIT, because of the current unrest in the village of Melaulim (in North Goa) where the campus is being set up against people's wishes," Gaonkar said.

For the last few months, villagers from Melaulim in the Sattari sub-district have been protesting hasty land acquisition procedures put in place by the Goa government to acquire 10 lakh square km land for setting up of the IIT campus.

Reacting to Gaonkar's offer for setting up of an IIT campus in his constituency, Sawant on Tuesday had accused the Independent legislator of allegedly doing "land deals" and using the IIT campus project as a ruse to push his deals through.

"Just because he is doing some land deals there, that does not mean the IIT campus will be shifted to his constituency," Sawant had said.
Goa BJP general secretary Damu Naik had also said that Gaonkar's comments were made keeping an eye on the 2022 state Assembly polls and therefore should be taken seriously.

"All politicians are getting ready for the 2022 elections. Gaonkar is also making his ground for the upcoming elections with these comments," Naik said.

Ever since an IIT was allotted to Goa by the central government in 2014, the institute has been functioning from a temporary campus shared by the Goa Engineering College in Farmagudi village, in South Goa.
The current site for the campus was identified by the Goa government earlier this year.