The Public Works Department Executive Engineer, Division XVI – Buildings Central, Ponda, Goa has issued a tender notice for construction of compound wall at the land allotted for IIT, Goa.
The tender notice issued on August 11, 2020 is for construction of compound wall for Indian Institute of Technology, Goa, in V. P Guleli, Sattari, Goa.
The estimated cost of the construction is Rs 9.3 cr and has to be completed in 365 days.
Shockingly, neither the PWD nor the government has applied for any approvals from the Village panchayat of Guleli.
Apurva Chari, Sarpanch of Guleli when questioned said that she has not given any permission.
“The panchayat has not given any permission for the project,” she said when the villagers demanded to know her stand.
The villagers have written to PWD Executive Engineer not to interfere with the village affairs without obtaining permissions from the village panchayat.
“The lands bearing sy no 67/1 of Melauli village and surrounding lands are occupied and used entirely and exclusively by the indigenous communities of our village since times immemorial, without any interruptions or interference,” the letter read.
Therefore, they said, before any steps are taken to interfere with our villagers’ possession over the lands bearing sy no 67/1 of Melauli village, they must attend a Gram Sabha, with necessary health precautions and safety measures, place the facts and all information before the people, and obtain their Free, Prior, Informed Consent.
“Until this mandatory Gram Sabha is held and the people have given their consent to relinquishing their traditional and ancestral rights over the lands, no acts, procedures, correspondence or processes may be carried out in furtherance of the proposal to locate the IIT Goa at sy no 67/1, Melauli village and surrounding lands. All such procedures carried out in the past may also be kindly considered as null and void ab initio, until the mandatory prior condition of obtaining the Free, Prior, Informed Consent of the indigenous communities is completed,” they said in the letter.
Further, they said, it is essential that you must, under intimation to us, issue a Public Notice revoking the request for tender issued prematurely by you for construction of a compound wall for the proposed IIT Goa at Melauli village.
