the goan I network
MARGAO
Indeed, grandiose plans by the police top brass to increase the number of police stations in Salcete from the existing four to seven with the additional of Benaulim, Fatorda and Navelim have hit a block. It’s more than two years since the proposal was mooted by the police top brass with the avowed promise to streamline policing in the taluka with the additions of new police stations and a new police sub-division.
That’s not all. Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, after his election in 2012, had promised to carve out a separate police station for Fatorda, but the plan has failed to take off till date.
With Sardesai now a Cabinet Minister in the Manohar Parrikar-led government, the TCP Minister said he would try to take the police station proposal to its logical conclusion. “Yes, I am very much keen to have a separate police station for Fatorda area. The Margao police station is overburdened with rising cases and patrolling of the Fatorda area is a far cry for want of staff,” he said, while reminding that a separate police station for Fatorda had been his election promise for the people of Fatorda.
Incidentally, police officials at the Margao police sub-division have no idea on the fate of the proposal to increase the strength of the police stations in Salcete from four to seven.
When The Goan contacted, Superintendent of Police, Vishram Borkar to shed light on the status of the proposal to increase the number of police stations in Salcete, he said the proposal is under the active consideration of the government. “The police department had okayed the proposal to increase the number of police stations in Salcete from four to seven. The proposal is under the active consideration of the Goa government,” SP Borkar added.
The proposal mooted by the men-in-uniform has proposed to bifurcate the existing Colva police station, having jurisdiction over the entire Salcete coast, right from Cavelossim to Majorda. The proposal entails that while the existing Colva police station will have jurisdiction over the villages of Colva, Betalbatim, Majorda and Seraulim, the proposed Benaulim police station will have jurisdiction over the villages of Benaulim, Varca, Orlim, Carmona and Cavelossim.
Sources said that a new Fatorda police station can be carved out of the existing Margao police station, which has jurisdiction over a vast area, right from Margao to Fatorda, Navelim, Aquem, Dramapur-Sirlim and Telaulim villages. The proposal to carve out a separate Fatorda police station can be achieved, sources said, by merging the Fatorda municipal area, besides Nuvem village.
People of Fatorda had been demanding a police outpost in the Municipal area for long now, with officials in the know saying that a full-fledged police will take care of the requirements of the area.
Sources said the proposed Navelim police station will exercise jurisdiction over the villages of Navelim, Telaulim, Dramapur, Aquem-Baixo.
A senior police officer told The Goan that the police brass had also proposed to the government to carve out another police sub-division for Salcete after increasing the number of police stations from four to seven. Presently, the Margao police sub-division headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police is exercising jurisdiction over the existing police stations of Margao, Maina-Curtorim, Colva and Cuncolim.
