Team Goemkarponn
FARMAGUDI: A six-member team from the Union Ministry of Education on Tuesday inspected a proposed 4.5 lakh square metre land parcel within the Goa College of Engineering campus at Farmagudi, identified for the permanent campus of IIT Goa.
Officials said the committee conducted a detailed assessment of the site and is expected to submit its report within a week. Preliminary observations indicate that the team found the location suitable for the institute’s long-pending permanent campus.
Sources said the Centre has relaxed the earlier requirement of 10 lakh square metres of land for establishing the institute. If approved, the identified land will be formally transferred to IIT Goa, with provisions for additional land in the future to support expansion.
Established in 2016, IIT Goa continues to operate from a temporary campus at Farmagudi. Officials said the lack of a permanent facility has affected the institute’s academic expansion, research activities and development of residential infrastructure.
The move follows Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s earlier announcement during the Ponda by-election campaign that IIT Goa’s permanent campus would be developed at Farmagudi.
Over the years, efforts to finalise a permanent site have faced repeated setbacks, with earlier proposals at Loliem, Melauli, Cotarli, Rivona, Dharbandora and Codar being dropped due to public opposition and land acquisition challenges.
Officials also noted that the prolonged delay in finalising a permanent campus has impacted IIT Goa’s expansion plans, including access to central grants and funding support meant for newer IITs established after 2014.
