MARGAO
Strange it may seem, but true. The Colva police station, which has its jurisdiction over the female-dominated Salcete coastal belt, spanning from Cavelossim to Majorda, does not have a single lady police sub-inspector.
Indeed, the Goa police seems to have not taken cognizance of the magisterial inquiry report into the alleged kidnapping of a local girl around six years ago, which had specifically stressed on the beefing up the Colva police station with lady police constables and Lady PSI to handle cases of women.
In fact, inquiries by The Goan has revealed that it’s now around six months since the lone lady PSI was transferred out of the Colva police and her replacement is yet to come till date. The situation had even prompted the Benaulim Village Development Committee to recommend in the Gram Panchayat Development Plan deployment of a lady police sub-inspector at the Colva police in the interest of women and girls.
In fact, Benaulim former sarpanch Royla Fernandes, while making a power-point presentation about the Gram Panchayat Development Plan some time back, had made a strong case for a lady PSI at the Colva PS, saying that women’s issues are best handled by a woman officer.
Inquiries revealed that the police department had posted a new lady PSI recruit to the Colva police station, but before she could be utilized in cases involving women and children, the officer was transferred out of Colva to the traffic department in Panaji.
What’s interesting to note is that the magisterial inquiry report, which came out with a host of recommendations in the wake of the 2013 alleged kidnapping incident at Benaulim, was categorical in saying that the Goa police should beef up the Colva police station with adequate number of lady police constables, including a lady PSI.
Senior police officials pointed out that the presence of a lady PSI, besides lady police constables, has become a dire necessity at the Colva police station, jurisdiction of which extends to Cavelossim, Carmona, Orlim, Varca, Benaulim, Colva, Seraulim, Betalbatim and Majorda, which are frequented by tourists. These areas have high concentration of females.
