the Union Ministry of Education has approved the proposed 4.5 lakh square metre land parcel within the Goa College of Engineering campus at Farmagudi for the Indian Institute of Technology Goa’s long-awaited permanent campus, nearly a decade after IIT Goa was established.
According to an official communication issued by the Ministry of Education on June 11, the Site Selection Committee (SSC), which inspected the land parcel at Bandora village in Ponda taluka on May 19, recommended the site for the permanent campus. The recommendation has since received approval from the competent authority of the Union government.
The Ministry has now asked the Goa government to complete all required documentation and transfer the land to IIT Goa at the earliest.
“The request made by the SSC has been approved by the competent authority. Accordingly, it is requested to complete the necessary documentation and transfer the land to IIT Goa at the earliest,” the communication stated.
The approval follows an earlier decision by the Centre to relax the requirement of 10 lakh square metres of land for establishing an IIT campus. The move enabled consideration of the Farmagudi proposal, which consists of approximately 4.5 lakh square metres within the existing GEC campus. Authorities have indicated that additional land could be made available in future should expansion become necessary.
The decision marks a significant step towards resolving IIT Goa’s long-standing infrastructure challenge. Established in 2016 as part of the expansion of the IIT system, the institute has been functioning from temporary facilities at Farmagudi while awaiting allocation of land for a dedicated campus.
Over the years, IIT Goa has repeatedly highlighted the need for permanent infrastructure to support its growing academic programmes, research activities, laboratories, student housing and future expansion plans.
The search for a permanent campus site has been marked by a series of setbacks. Multiple locations identified over the years failed to progress due to public opposition, environmental concerns and land acquisition hurdles.
Proposals at Loliem in Canacona, Melauli in Sattari and Cotarli in Sanguem were abandoned following resistance from local communities. Other sites at Rivona and Dharbandora also failed to move forward because of land acquisition challenges.
More recently, a proposal to establish the campus at Codar village in Ponda was withdrawn in September last year after strong protests from residents.
The prolonged delay in finalising a site is understood to have affected IIT Goa’s long-term development plans. The absence of a permanent campus has also been cited as a constraint in accessing certain infrastructure-related opportunities and research funding programmes, including additional support schemes announced by the Union Ministry of Education for IITs established after 2014.
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