Goa, Sept. 22 -- The protest by Codar-Bethora locals against the proposed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) continues into its second month, with residents holding daily meetings and corner gatherings demanding the scrapping of the project. In yesterday's meeting, locals warned of staging a Melaulim-style agitation if the government proceeds with the IIT project on fertile land.

They criticised the government for failing to uphold land rights under the Agriculture and Tenancy Act, while pushing projects such as malls, hotels, and the IIT on cultivable land. "Goans have very little land in their hands. Delhi-based parties are doing injustice by taking fertile land for projects that offer no real benefits," they charged. MLA Viresh Bork...