Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to the State, which included high-level security reviews and the 28th meeting of the Western Zonal Council, has left Goa pondering. During his engagements, Shah praised the “West Engine” comprising Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra and the neighbouring Union Territories for powering much of India’s financial, industrial and maritime growth. Goa received particular recognition for contributing significantly to the national economy despite its small geographical size.
But the praise came with an equally important reminder. Economic prominence also brings strategic vulnerabilities. Goa’s long coastline, heavy tourist traffic, and constant movement of people make it susceptible to increasingly complex security threats. The Home Minister’s call to strengthen coastal security over the next two years points to a crucial shift in approach. The terror strikes in Mumbai tell us that coastal states can no longer remain on the periphery of the country’s internal security framework.
For Goa, Shah’s visit has outlined three clear priorities. The first is to move beyond rhetoric in the fight against narcotics. The drug trade poses a direct threat not only to Goa’s social fabric but to its reputation as a safe destination. Shah’s disclosure that drug seizures across the country between 2014 and 2026 amounted to 1.19 crore kilograms, valued at Rs 1.89 lakh crore, underlines the sheer scale of the challenge.
For Goa, however, the response cannot be limited to arresting street-level peddlers. Local police must work in far closer coordination with central agencies to trace both the backward and forward linkages of the drug trade. The focus must be on dismantling the networks and syndicates that operate behind the scenes, including those that exploit the tourism ecosystem. We cannot be merely taking comfort in seizures.
The second priority is a comprehensive overhaul of coastal security. Goa’s easily accessible shoreline makes it vulnerable to drug trafficking and other forms of maritime intrusion. The Centre’s decision to give greater attention to coastal security over the next two years must be matched by serious preparedness within the State. Unfortunately, we are not even in a position to track out-of-State fishing vessels intruding into Goa’s territorial waters.
The coastal police and other agencies need better surveillance capabilities, risk-based profiling and real-time intelligence-sharing mechanisms. Coordination with the Indian Coast Guard and central security agencies must become routine rather than something activated only after a threat emerges.
The third priority is judicial efficiency and the effective implementation of legal reforms. Shah has revealed that the criminal conviction rate has jumped to 53.2 per cent from 22 per cent. This comes as a surprise, because barely a week ago, figures placed before the Legislative Assembly showed it at a miserable 5.85 per cent. Given Goa’s pathetic conviction rate, achieving 70 per cent success will require more than tougher laws. It will depend on faster trials, effective fast-track courts, stronger use of digital and forensic evidence, and better mechanisms to pursue absconding and international offenders through initiatives such as the Bharat-Pol framework.
Amit Shah’s visit has given Goa both recognition and a reminder of the responsibilities that come with its growing economic and strategic importance. It’s time the State government takes coastal security, anti-narcotics enforcement and judicial reform seriously, instead of considering them periodic administrative priorities. They must become part of the State’s everyday governance agenda. Goa must introspect on coastal governance and security. But that will depend on whether it is willing to match its economic ambitions with an equally firm commitment to law, order and national security.
