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Most land for proposed IT park at Soccoro barren, says panel HERALD CORRESPONDENT PORVORIM, MARCH 12 — The Secretary of the Socorro IT Project Awareness committee Elman Dias has said that the land admeasuring 10,85,826 sq meters offered by the Serula communidade at Rs 25 per sq meter to the Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited for IT park at soccoro is a barren land and the vegetation is only on the slopes of the land. Disclosing this to the press persons in a hotel at Povorim on Saturday evening, Mr Dias said that some handful of people have started spreading misinformation among the villagers that the site selected by the government at Succoro for setting up of IT park is a forest land and hence will be detrimental to the interest of villagers. Hence, their committee members visited the site in the month of February, 2006 and on inspection found that the most of the aforesaid area is a barren land with the tropical trees and bushes around its slopes only. "After verifying the Survey Nos 268/1, 271/1, 273/1, 274/1, 275/1, and 277/1 it was observed by the committee that survey no 268/1 admeasuring 4,35,400 sq meters of land is partly shown as private forest and in order to make up for this loss of area ITG thought to acquire additional adjoining land bearing Survey no 271/0, 268/0, 297/0, and 267/0 in Salvador-do-Mundo admeasuring 2,68,800 sq meters and all these additional areas neither have tenant nor houses. The land is clear for acquisition," informed Mr Dias. Mr Dias stated that in 1989 the aforesaid site was notified by the then Government as industrial area and the components of the Serula Communidade in its General Body meeting held on November 6, 2005 passed a resolution offering the land of 10,85,826 sq metres to the Government for IT project. Further the Soccoro Panchayat in the gram sabha meeting held on February 26, 2006 adopted a resolutions stating that IT project should be encouraged in the panchayat area. Mr Dias further informed that they have a received a letter from Info Tech Corporation of Goa Limited stating that 30 per cent of the land will be retained as green area, 10 per cent of the land will be earmarked for institution, recreation etc and balance 60% of the land will be utilized for IT park. The letter also states that this project will have sewerage treatment plant and garbage plant and hence drinking water wells in the village will not be affected. Similarly, a new power sub-station will be erected on the site and the sufficient water will be provided for the project by laying new pipeline which will be connect to Tillari Project and no water will be used from the village reservoirs. Mr Dias also mentioned that they have requested the Information Tech Corporation of Goa Ltd to reserve 80 per cent of the jobs for sons and the daughters of the soils. -- TUMCHER AXIRVAD ASSUM; DEV BOREM KORUM. Gabe Menezes. London, England