Goa, Sept. 20 -- N i r a n k a l - C o d a r panchayat maintaining silence over the proposed Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) project at Codar, villagers and tenants of Bethora on Thursday submitted memoranda demanding that a special gramsabha be convened to discuss the issue. Residents handed a memorandum to the sarpanch of the Bethora-Nirankal-Codar panchayat and another to the Ponda BDO, urging an immediate gramsabha. They also submitted their objections directly to Tribal leader and Sports Minister Ramesh Tavadkar at his residence.

Speaking on behalf of the Codar villagers, Visram Gaonkar said the demand for a special gramsabha was to oppose the project outright. "We want our ST leaders and the minister to inspect the proposed II...