the goan I network
MARGAO
It’s now close to five months since politicos came rushing to inaugurate the Fatorda police station on September 30 “ an exclusive police station for the Fatorda Municipal area, the constituency represented by TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai.
While the TCP Minister may have fulfilled his election promise of setting up an independent police station for Fatorda, the police administration is struggling to provide the basic amenities such as barracks, a lock-up, waiting room facility at the police station housed in a building which was not designed to house a police station, but for the government staff quarters.
The barracks for the constabulary is a case in point and, not to mention the lock up facility of the Fatorda police station. Months after the police station was inaugurated with much fanfare with skeletal staff, Fatorda police station has finally received the required staff and personnel. Headed by PI Navlesh Desai, the police station today has a stretch of around 62 officers and staff comprising of a PI, 07 PSIs, 02 PSIs, 03 ASIs, 11 HCs, 30 PCs and 05 LPCs.
Considering that Fatorda has finally received the required manpower, the question of barracks for the constabulary and officers have come to the fore. While officials maintained that the constabulary head home after putting in eight hour work, a small room in the police station has found grossly inadequate to meet the basic standards of police barracks.
It’s still unclear how the constabulary is accommodated in a small dingy room on the first floor of the building housing the police station, even though officials said the constables are free to take rest at the Margao district police headquarters.
While the lock-up facility at the police station is getting ready, inquiries revealed that the police prefer to shift the accused persons to the Margao police lock-up as a matter of abundant caution.
That’s not all. Visitors to the police station find themselves left high and dry for want of any waiting room facility. Given the narrow passages of the small rooms, visitors have no option than to stand outside the police station.
When The Goan called up IGP Jaspal Singh to shed light on the deficiencies at the Fatorda police station, he said the police are aware of the shortcomings, especially relating to the barracks for the constabulary and the lock-up facility. “Given that the police station premises is located in a residential quarters, it’s very difficult to accommodate the police requirements in such a building. We have proposed to set up the barracks in the residential building in front of the building housing the police station. We will take a call after the PWD conducts the structural stability test,” IGP Jaspal Singh said, adding that the police has cleared a proposal for the barracks at Fatorda.
