Goa
,
Loliem
,
South Goa
Published : 12 July, 2014   |   Last updated - 24 Jun, 2024
Goa Govt Cancels Plans for IIT Goa Campus in Loliem After Residents Protest
Reported by
Nihar Gokhale
Legal Review by
Anmol Gupta
Updated by
Anupa Kujur
Households affected
5000
People Affected
2016
Year started
121
Land area affected
Households affected
5000
People Affected
2016
Year started
121
Land area affected
Key Insights
Sector
Infrastructure
Reason/Cause of conflict
Education
Conflict Status
Ongoing
Ended
Legal Status
Region Classification
Rural
Ended
1
Summary

The first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in Goa was announced in May 2016 after the Centre alloted the autonomous institute to the state in 2014. A 300-acre permanent campus was proposed at Loliem village under the Loliem-Pollem panchayat in South Goa. A committee formed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) selected the site.
The proposed site falls in an uninhabited laterite plateau, which is partly covered by a forest and partly used by farmers for monsoon cultivation, cashew plantations, grazing and also as a sacred site. The settlements in Loliem are on the slopes of the periphery plateau, which is also a principal source of water for the village. The porous laterite absorbs rainwater, lets it out in springs and recharges aquifers.
The residents of Loliem came together under the banner of Citizens Committee of Loliem to oppose the IIT, saying that it threatens their water and livelihood security as well as their cultural rights. They also wanted to preserve the forested parts of the plateau, which share their borders with the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi Tiger Reserve. Both the Madhav Gadgil and K. Kasturirangan Committees on Western Ghats had recommended the plateau to be notified as an eco-sensitive zone.
However, the land falls under the Comunidade of Loliem - a system dating back from before the Portuguese where a committee of native inhabitants of the village collectively own land and decide how it is put to use. The members also share the generated revenue, if any. A communidade, however, is not representative of all the residents of a village.
In February 2016, the Comunidade gave its consent to transfer the land to the state government for setting up the IIT. In the same month, the Goa government moved an amendment to the Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070, which consists of the rules of Comunidades, to officially allow the Comunidade of Loliem to "grant" land to the state government for premier educational institutes of national importance without auction. This amendment enabled the government to get possession of the land, following which the campus was proposed in May.
Loliem residents wrote letters to the HRD ministry and the state government asking for the relocation of the IIT. In October 2016, they managed to pass a gram sabha (village assembly) resolution banning any non-traditional use of the plateau land.
In November that year, a special gram sabha was called under heavy police presence to take a vote on the IIT. About 2,000 people had gathered to participate, but the hearing was abruptly adjourned by the sarpanch (village assembly head), who was in favour of the project and is a member of the Comunidade of Loliem. A commotion followed the adjournment and several villagers tried to block the sarpanch's vehicle from leaving the site. The sarpanch later filed a police complaint against eight persons on charges of rioting, wrongful restraint and assault.
In June 2017, when the panchayat polls were due and the establishment of the IIT had become a decisive issue, then Chief Minister (now deceased) Manohar Parrikar announced to shift the IIT campus to another location. An alternative site was proposed in Sanguem tehsil and in Nagvem village of Quepem tehsil in South Goa, providing relief to the residents of Loliem.
Since 2016, the IIT has been functioning from a temporary campus shared with the Goa Engineering College in Farmagudi village in South Goa.

2
Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Opposition against environmental degradation

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Forest and Non-Forest

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)

Status of Project

Project scrapped

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Grazing, Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence, Religious/Sacred/Cultural value

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

10

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

2016

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

Yes

When did it end?

June 2017

Why did the conflict end?

Community's original demands were met

In June 2017, then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar (now deceased) announced to shift the IIT campus to another location. An alternative site was proposed in Sanguem tehsil and in Nagvem village of Quepem tehsil in South Goa, providing relief to the residents of Loliem.

Author
Reported by
Nihar Gokhale

Goa

Kumar Sambhav is a social entrepreneur and award-winning journalist, leading innovative research in accountability investigations. He is the founder of Land Conflict Watch and is currently working as India Research Lead with Princeton University’s Digital Witness Lab.

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Fact sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Opposition against environmental degradation

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Goa Govt Cancels Plans for IIT Goa Campus in Loliem After Residents Protest

Reported by

Nihar Gokhale

Legal Review by

Edited by

Updated by

Updated by

Published on

September 19, 2018

May 13, 2024

Edited on

September 19, 2018

Sector

Infrastructure

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Education

Starting Year

2016

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

121

ha

Households Affected by Conflict

People Affected by Conflict

5000

State

Goa

Sector

Infrastructure

People Affected by Conflict

5000

Households Affected by Conflict

Land Area Affected (in Hectares)

121

ha

Starting Year

2016

Location of Conflict

Loliem

South Goa

Reason or Cause of Conflict

Education

Land Conflict Summary

The first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus in Goa was announced in May 2016 after the Centre alloted the autonomous institute to the state in 2014. A 300-acre permanent campus was proposed at Loliem village under the Loliem-Pollem panchayat in South Goa. A committee formed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) selected the site.
The proposed site falls in an uninhabited laterite plateau, which is partly covered by a forest and partly used by farmers for monsoon cultivation, cashew plantations, grazing and also as a sacred site. The settlements in Loliem are on the slopes of the periphery plateau, which is also a principal source of water for the village. The porous laterite absorbs rainwater, lets it out in springs and recharges aquifers.
The residents of Loliem came together under the banner of Citizens Committee of Loliem to oppose the IIT, saying that it threatens their water and livelihood security as well as their cultural rights. They also wanted to preserve the forested parts of the plateau, which share their borders with the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi Tiger Reserve. Both the Madhav Gadgil and K. Kasturirangan Committees on Western Ghats had recommended the plateau to be notified as an eco-sensitive zone.
However, the land falls under the Comunidade of Loliem - a system dating back from before the Portuguese where a committee of native inhabitants of the village collectively own land and decide how it is put to use. The members also share the generated revenue, if any. A communidade, however, is not representative of all the residents of a village.
In February 2016, the Comunidade gave its consent to transfer the land to the state government for setting up the IIT. In the same month, the Goa government moved an amendment to the Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070, which consists of the rules of Comunidades, to officially allow the Comunidade of Loliem to "grant" land to the state government for premier educational institutes of national importance without auction. This amendment enabled the government to get possession of the land, following which the campus was proposed in May.
Loliem residents wrote letters to the HRD ministry and the state government asking for the relocation of the IIT. In October 2016, they managed to pass a gram sabha (village assembly) resolution banning any non-traditional use of the plateau land.
In November that year, a special gram sabha was called under heavy police presence to take a vote on the IIT. About 2,000 people had gathered to participate, but the hearing was abruptly adjourned by the sarpanch (village assembly head), who was in favour of the project and is a member of the Comunidade of Loliem. A commotion followed the adjournment and several villagers tried to block the sarpanch's vehicle from leaving the site. The sarpanch later filed a police complaint against eight persons on charges of rioting, wrongful restraint and assault.
In June 2017, when the panchayat polls were due and the establishment of the IIT had become a decisive issue, then Chief Minister (now deceased) Manohar Parrikar announced to shift the IIT campus to another location. An alternative site was proposed in Sanguem tehsil and in Nagvem village of Quepem tehsil in South Goa, providing relief to the residents of Loliem.
Since 2016, the IIT has been functioning from a temporary campus shared with the Goa Engineering College in Farmagudi village in South Goa.

Fact Sheet

Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Opposition against environmental degradation

Demand to retain/protect access to common land/resources

Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community

Region Classification

Rural

Type of Land

Common

Type of Common Land

Forest and Non-Forest

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)

Status of Project

Project scrapped

Original Project Deadline

Whether the Project has been Delayed

Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users

Grazing, Other Natural Resource extraction/dependence, Religious/Sacred/Cultural value

Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict

Source/Reference

Total investment involved (in Crores):

10

Type of investment:

Year of Estimation

2016

Page Number In Investment Document:

Has the Conflict Ended?

Yes

When did it end?

June 2017

Why did the conflict end?

Community's original demands were met

In June 2017, then Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar (now deceased) announced to shift the IIT campus to another location. An alternative site was proposed in Sanguem tehsil and in Nagvem village of Quepem tehsil in South Goa, providing relief to the residents of Loliem.

Legal Data

Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict

Other

Legislations/Policies Involved

Goa Legislative Diploma No. 2070 Amendment, 2016
Section 2: Insertion of Section 334-B which states that with prior consent of the concerned Comunidade, the government can grant land for higher education institutions
Goa Panchayat Raj Act, 1994
Section 60(2): Panchayat can make provisions to promote education etc; Section 62: General powers of the Panchayat 
Goa, Daman and Diu Preservation of Trees Act, 1984
Section 8: Restriction on felling of trees without the permission of the Tree Officer; Section 9: Procedure to obtain permission for the felling/cutting of trees 
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    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute

What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?

What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?

Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:

Lack of legal protection over land rights

Legal Status:

Out of Court

Status of Case In Court

Whether any adjudicatory body was approached

Name of the adjudicatory body

Name(s) of the Court(s)

Case Number

Main Reasoning/Decision of court

Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:

Physical attack

Reported Details of the Violation:

In November 2016, residents of Loliem tried to block the sarpanch's vehicle during a public hearing. The sarpanch later filed a police complaint against eight villagers on charges of rioting, wrongful restraint and assault.

Date of Violation

November 26, 2016

Location of Violation

Loliem

Additional Information

Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:

State department of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development

PSUs Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?

Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached

Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:

Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?

Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:

Comunidade of Loliem, Citizens Committee of Loliem, Gram Panchayat of Loliem-Pollem

Information on the use of criminal law

What was the action taken by the police?

How many people did the police detain or arrest?

What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?

Did the person face any violence while in police custody?

If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?

If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?

Legislation under which the accused was charged

Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?

In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?

Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?

Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?

Resources

Resources Related to Conflict

  • News Articles Related to the Conflict:
  • Documents Related to the Conflict:
  • Links Related to the Conflict:

Images

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