MARGAO/VASCO
“We have been made to stand out on the road in the hot sun without food and water since morning,” was the general complaint made by the men-in-khaki deployed on the roads ahead of the two-day BRICS summit, even as a constable was rushed to Hospicio hospital and then shifted to the Goa Medical College and hospital, Bambolim, after suffering a heart attack on Thursday noon.
While the government has spent crores of rupees to put up the best infrastructure ahead of the BRICS summit, the police constables were left high and dry on Thursday as they were neither served food nor water. The Goan understands that the police had deployed the constables all along the 40-km stretch of the route from Dabolim airport to Leela hotel, Cavelossim. The constables, who were requisitioned from almost all the police stations across the state, were deployed all along the route at 10 am before the drill could commence from the airport road.
The hundreds of constables, who were standing on the roads under the scorching sun, did not carry water bottles thinking the department would supply water or the drill will wind up before 1 pm. As it turned out, however, the rehearsal went past 3 pm, leaving the constables without water and food, for reasons best known to the police higher-ups.
A senior police officer, while sympathizing with the plight of the constabulary, however, pointed out that the constables could not be provided with food and water because the information suggested that the drill will get over by 1 pm. “The department has made arrangements for food and water for the police personnel on duty from October 15-16. Similar arrangements could not be made today since it was assumed that the traffic drill will end by 1 pm,” the police officer said.
Incidentally, a group of police personnel from some other states, who have been requisitioned for duties for the BRICS summit, were also seen fetching water from local residents along the coastal belt. While the best of food and hospitality await the VIPs and their delegations during the summit in Goa, there is neither food nor hospitality for cops from the Mormugao police division, who have already begun toiling to ensure their safety and security.
Police on BRICS duty from Mormugao complained that they are not being provided with breakfast and lunch, while having to work under harrowing conditions.
According to sources, about 200 police personnel from Mormugao, Vasco, Dabolim and Collem Police stations have been deployed along the road up to Park Hyatt as part of security to the VVIPS and their delegates. Sources told The Goan that the police personnel have been on rehearsal duty since the last three days from 9 am to 3 pm.
“On all three days, the BRICS committee failed to provide breakfast, lunch and even water to the policemen on rehearsal duty,” said the source. “When senior police officers, who were also on duty, came to know about their plight, they purchased water bottles for them. They later sent the police personnel in batches for lunch, for which the police had to pay from their own pockets.”
The source claimed that the young police constable attached to Saligao Police station, who suffered a heart attack at Margao on Thursday afternoon, had been working under intense stress and lack of food.
“If this is the condition of the policemen on duty during dress rehearsal, we can only wonder what awaits us when delegates starts arriving in Goa from October 14,” the police source said.
When contacted, a police official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed that the police personnel have been subjected to difficult conditions. “When all this was brought to my notice, we provided them with water at our own cost and we later sent them to have lunch in batches,” the police official said.
Despite efforts, S-Goa SP Shekar Prabhudesai and Mormugao DySP Sucheta Dessai did not respond to calls made to them for comments in the matter.
