PANAJI
The Rajiv Gandhi IT Habitat, an ambitious project proposed at Dona Paula, which was stalled following a massive protest, has been lying in limbo for the past 18 years. Despite several announcements to revive the project, there has been no headway down the line.
The dream project of the then Congress-led government was formally inaugurated by Congress president Sonia Gandhi in 2006. Thereafter, due to violent protests, work was stopped in December 2007. Altogether 2,85,296 square metres of land at the Dona Paula plateau was earmarked for the IT Habitat and around 18 plots were allotted.
However, following allegations of a land scam and public protest, the government cancelled the allotted plots and refunded around Rs 140 crore to the companies, which were allotted plots in 2006-07.
In January, this year, the Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho announced that the government has already initiated a process to revive the IT Habitat project and has also shortlisted two-three land parcels.
“Ultimately, IT is an industry and while encouraging all types of eco-friendly industries to come, we are going to make a pitch for the IT industry to set up shops in Goa. For that purpose, it is important that we have an IT Habitat,” he had said.
However, sources in the Industries department as well as Info Tech Corporation, confirmed that there are no such plans at the moment. But at the same time maintained that the government is keen on promoting the IT sector, for which the IT Habitat project is a need of the hour.
The government has already proposed a Convention Centre on the land, which was earlier identified for the IT Habitat at Dona Paula.
Similar proposals were mooted during the Manohar Parrikar regime in 2012, 2013 and again in 2015. However, the project failed to make a comeback.
In 2015, the BJP-led government mooted a plan to relocate the project to 4.5 lakh sqm of government land near the electricity department’s sub-station on the Kadamba plateau, within the precincts of Chimbel village. However, that did not materialise.
Incumbent Minister and Panaji MLA Atanasio Monserrate and his family was at the forefront of the protest, which took an ugly violent turn later.
