NIT: Have Canaconkar’s lost it?
Year 2011 is history. And so is Canacona’s dream project the National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Madditolop, in Loliem-Polem village panchayat or at least it looks like. Have Canaconkar’s lost it. Check the pulse from a cross section of local people.
Why do we make our children take pledge every morning in the school assembly that all Indians are my brothers and sisters, if we cannot even have a positive approach for an educational project like NIT? Problems, if at all exist, can be discussed and overcome. Some rivalry should not affect this in-demand project. With positive approach we can put problems like scarce water and electricity supply in place” - Chetan Acharya, businessman
It’s time to rise above personal interest to let prestigious institution like NIT to come up in our village. It is an acid test for each right thinking individual especially the youth to keep aside their personal differences and unite for the cause of state and nation. Posterity will never forgive us if we let this great opportunity slip away from our hands” - J K Gaonkar,
Principal of S S Angle Higher Secondary School
There is a reason to look at every new project with some amount of suspicion because vested interests do manipulate things. But, differences can always be settled amicably. An outright no to a project of this nature and magnitude is certainly not right. There should be a proper debate and the issue needs to be discussed reasonably” - Mateus Dias, motorcycle taxi driver
Something positive, particularly an educational initiative like NIT is always welcome. As long as it does not adversely affect the life of the local people, why should anybody oppose it? NIT is like a temple of Saraswati in our midst and we should be proud to welcome it. It is like a tree that will bear fruits for our posterity with all the employment and educational opportunities. Such a golden opportunity should not be wasted” - Vaijayanti Prabhugaonkar
NITs, earlier known as regional engineering colleges, are next only to IITs as far as the prestige goes. But, due care needs to be taken to ensure that it will not be like the BITS Pillani at Vasco. They bought the land for peanuts, but who gets the benefit today? Certainly not Goans. Of course, NIT in Canacona with a few checks and balances is a wonderful thing. Our deserving students will not have to rush out of the state to other NITs. It will also promote the much needed competitive spirit among our students. Besides, with due reservation the support staff could be local and it will certainly give the local economy a big boost”
- Judas Barreto, Chief engineer, Merchant Navy
I have to honestly say that I don't know much. But since it is an educational project, the Loliecars should go for it. At the same time one can't ignore that under RP-21 Loliem-Polem is having three to four eco and general tourism spots marked and a large area will be required for that. What I learnt from newspapers is that at the gram sabhas, locals opposed the project for some unknown reason. Initially, the said project was to come up at Balli, but the locals opposed it. Why? It is not known. What I feel is that the whole issue should studied in a right perspective and pursued” - Kishore Paiginkar
