MAPUCA: The police personnel working at the Mapusa police station are forced to work under deplorable conditions. The police force that is supposed to be the guardians of law, is many a times neglected by not being provided with the necessary conditions or environment, which would make their work effective.
If a crime is committed and is not detected and solved for some time, it is these law protectors who come under fire from the government as well as the general public.However, what the general public very often misses to notice are the efforts of sincere police officers, who inspite of unfavourable working conditions, put in their best to keep things under control.
Police force in the state suffers from various problems such as, insufficient or dilapidated vehicles, frequent transfers of sincere and honest police officers who crack down on criminals, unwarranted public anger, improper equipment and above all, an unsafe or dilapidated ‘roof’ overhead. The Mapusa police station is one such station that comes in the latter category.
The Mapusa police station building was reportedly built during the Portuguese era. By any standard, this police station is considered a busy one and it caters to law and order and safety of citizens staying in 19 panchayats and 1 municipality.
It has a total strength of nearly 200 personnel, consisting of police, traffic police, home guards, CID and wireless sections. With cases of thefts, flesh trade, drug peddling, accidents, fights and brawls and murders taking place quite often within its jurisdiction, there is immense pressure on the police personnel to maintain law and order and crack these cases and bring them to a logical conclusion.
Of late, many new policemen have been deployed on security bandobast at various strategic points, including temples, though in most temples private security has been advised by the police. The Assonora police outpost, the Aldona police outpost and the recently created Mapusa market police outpost, come under the jurisdiction of the Mapusa police station.
A look around the Mapusa police station and its courtyard, creates a kind of dread in the heart of the visitor, and does nothing to improve the image of the police force. It also does not create confidence in the working of the department.
One can see dilapidated and unclaimed vehicles dumped all over, ‘in court’ vehicles are also seen everywhere. The trees have grown wild with no one bothering to trim them. Filthy, stinking and unhygienic toilets greet the visitor. The roof is leaking and unsafe. The residential quarters of the personnel are miserable to say the least, and poor infrastructure is the hallmark of the very vital Mapusa police station. The situation is compounded with no proper vehicles for the police to use emergency situations.
The room of the police inspector is leaking so badly, that during heavy showers buckets have to be kept in the room to collect the water and constant mopping is required. Some senior police officers, who are at Mapusa, did their best to create an environment of hygiene and cleanliness in the station, and they did succeed to a certain extent. However, major works such as roof leakage, cleaning and clearing the compound of unwanted items and especially the vehicles which are rusting there, trimming and tending to the trees, have to be taken up by the concerned authorities and a lot of funds and major repair work is required in these areas.
It is reliably learnt that a plan of a modernised police station was ready and in place some time back, however, the plan did not get the government approval, as it was estimated to cost around ` 7 crore. Citing budgetary constraints, it is learnt that at least for the time being, plans of demolishing and constructing a new sophisticated and modernised police station are put on hold.
Another factor that has also put spokes in the way of new police station building is the delay in commissioning of the new district hospital at Peddem.
Police sources claim that had the new hospital been commissioned, then the present police station could have been shifted to the old Asilo hospital, while the present police station was demolished and a new one constructed in its place.
Sources said the government could either sanction a new building for the Mapusa police or it could carry out the desired work in phases.
As the police station is very close to the road, accident and damaged vehicles are kept just outside and this further reduces the carriage way of the road.
Mosquitoes invade every part of the police station and no officer of any rank is spared by these flying insects. The lock ups are no better. One can imagine the condition of the inmates there, when the police officers themselves are working in under miserable circumstances.
Significantly, the Home Minister, Mr Ravi Naik had last year visited this police station and had promised to speed up with the government the reconstruction plans. High ranking police officers have also visited this station, as per the records available; but sadly all these visits and promises have yet to bear any fruit.
When the international film festival started a state of the art theatre was built. Here we have guardians of the law stationed in appalling conditions. No wonder many cases go unreported. Instead of sanctioning Mega colonies why can't the Goa government build a state of the art Police stations all over the Goa? With Good working premises and improved pay scales these guys could discharge their duties better. The high morale of these Officers is important.
ReplyDelete