“At Codar, the arguments against the project sound familiar. People worry about land acquisition, loss of livelihood, and environmental damage. These are legitimate concerns. No project of this magnitude should ever be imposed without consultation, transparency and adequate compensation. But when every proposed site meets the same fate, the problem is no longer about location. It is about whether Goa actually wants an IIT at all.”
The Goa government’s decision to scrap the proposed IIT campus at Codar is more than just a policy reversal. It is a telling moment of how public ambition repeatedly collapses in the state under the weight of local opposition, parochial interests and political hesitation. Goa has once again shown it cannot hold its ground when it comes to institutions of national importance.
For nearly a decade, the idea of an IIT in Goa has drifted from one proposed site to another — from Sattari to Melauli, from farm lands to forest tracts, and now to Codar. Each time, strong local resistance has forced the government to retreat. This endless merry-go-round has turned what should have been a historic opportunity into an embarrassing saga of indecision. Today, the IIT Goa continues to function out of a temporary campus, while other states have swiftly built permanent facilities and reaped the benefits.
At Codar, the arguments against the project sound familiar. People worry about land acquisition, loss of livelihood, and environmental damage. These are legitimate concerns. No project of this magnitude should ever be imposed without consultation, transparency and adequate compensation. But when every proposed site meets the same fate, the problem is no longer about location. It is about whether Goa actually wants an IIT at all.
The contradiction is glaring. Private individuals and companies manage to acquire large plots for ventures ranging from stadiums to resorts without the same scale of protest derailing them. Yet when it comes to a public institution that promises education, research and jobs, we suddenly discover insurmountable obstacles. The comparison is not about the merits of a stadium or a resort but about the imbalance of willpower. If private projects can be pushed through, why can’t the government muster the same determination for something that benefits society as a whole?
By abandoning Codar, the government has signaled that it is easier to let the loudest voices dictate outcomes than to stand firm for the larger good. This is not democracy at work but governance in retreat. Real democracy requires listening to concerns, addressing them meaningfully, and still ensuring that the collective interest is not sacrificed to short-term opposition. What we have instead is a pattern where every community says “not in my backyard” and the state folds.
The losers here are not just the policymakers who appear weak. The real loss is for the students of Goa, who must look outside the state for opportunities that could have been created here. An IIT campus would have brought world-class research, faculty, and collaborations. It would have anchored Goa in the map of India’s knowledge economy. It would have meant local jobs, academic partnerships, and inspiration for generations. By denying space for such an institution, we deny space for our own future.
This decision also sends a damaging message about Goa’s seriousness. Investors, educators, and national institutions will think twice before proposing projects here. If the state cannot even agree on hosting an IIT, what does it say about our ability to plan for the future? Goa risks being seen as a place where politics and pressure groups matter more than long-term vision.
The government must now be honest. If it truly does not want an IIT, let it say so and stop wasting time in a charade of shifting proposals. If it does, then it must take responsibility, identify a viable site, and build consensus with firmness and transparency. Endless dithering only erodes credibility.
Codar may have won this round, but Goa as a whole has lost. We have lost prestige, opportunity, and the confidence that we can host institutions of national importance. Unless the government breaks free of this cycle of surrender, the IIT will remain a nomad in Goa — and our young people will keep looking elsewhere for the future that could have been built here.
