The opposition to the proposed Peace University Complex at Tivim gained momentum on Sunday as around 300 residents who were gathered at a gram sabha meeting vehemently opposed the project by the Pune-based MIT Group. The project has been facing growing opposition despite being proposed on comunidade land, with people across sections voicing deep-rooted concerns about its impact on the locality — both in terms of infrastructure and environment.
Speakers at the gram sabha meeting spoke their minds on the rapid urbanisation and commercialisation impacting Goa. While some voiced concerns about how the project would put tremendous pressure on infrastructure at a time when locals are finding it difficult to negotiate life with water and electricity supply restrictions, some questioned the move of bypassing the local body in clearing the project. Others spoke about the heritage and vibe of the village being destroyed in the name of development.
The sentiment and fears of the locals emanate from the fact that the Goan landscape is going through a metamorphosis through questionable conversions of orchard lands and forest areas. Hills have been cut down rampantly and land illegalities have been the talking point in the Goa narrative, and comunidade land is increasingly being encroached upon. The degradation is as clear as daylight.
Local MLA and Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar's reasoning that locals don't have a say here because the land belongs to comunidade is misplaced and smacks of arrogance because this is not about ownership of land. Locals across the State have been and are still fighting against mega projects, despite the question of land ownership. It is about the larger interest of the locality, village and the State that people are taking up cudgels. The concept of inclusive development would be hollow if people were taken out of the equation.
The sentiment resonates with many in the locality and within the comunidade who voiced their fears about the long-term consequences of such a project. The argument that educational projects must be welcomed may have merits, but there are major downsides too. With so much of stress on land resources and the influx of 'outsiders' who are now steering the narrative, Goans are feeling the pressure. It is not only the environmental impact, there is a larger fear that Goa at some point will no longer belong to Goans. If the idea is to project Goa as an educational hub, we need to also factor in what would come with it, and what's in it for Goans -- jobs or educational upliftment of youth, both, or none.
The theory that Goa must give a blanket welcome to educational institutions is flawed on both counts of employment and education because premier institutions never consider quotas for locals, and neither is there any guarantee to create job avenues for Goans. Even the logic of Goans getting access to better education in these institutions is farfetched.
We are not arguing against educational projects, but making a case for a practical analysis bordering on the Goan standpoint. Moreover, lessons of the past haven't been learnt. The IIT project, although prestigious, was not accepted in three villages despite the government enjoying the advantage of land. The bottom line is that people have to be part of the larger conversation on development, even if it means educational projects.
