PANAJI
Nearly 10 days after the Goa Police announced one of its largest transfer exercises in recent months, a majority of the personnel who were moved on paper remain exactly where they were before the order was issued.
The June 8 transfer order, affecting 195 personnel across ranks and units and carrying explicit instructions for implementation “with immediate effect”, has largely stalled, with police sources estimating that over 50 percent of the transferred personnel are yet to join their new place of posting.
The delay has once again exposed a long-running administrative fault line within the force: transfer orders are issued, but implementation often remains optional.
Senior police officials have remained tight-lipped on the continued non-compliance. Officers familiar with the exercise, however, said several units are refusing to relieve personnel until replacements physically report for duty, creating a chain reaction that has effectively frozen the transfer process.
“Most officers are citing manpower shortages and saying they cannot spare staff until replacements join. Investigation, law and order duty are among several reasons cited... As a result, many personnel continue to remain in their old postings despite being transferred,” a police source said.
The bottleneck assumes greater significance because the latest reshuffle had already drawn concern over the redistribution of manpower across key operational units.
Among the biggest casualties is the State Police Control Room (SPCR), the force’s central communication and emergency response hub. The unit lost around 27 personnel in the transfer exercise and received only four in return. Amidst the fear of a sizeable deficit, sources said the staff, if not all, is yet to be relieved.
Other frontline units have also been left stretched. Anjuna Police Station and its Traffic Cell, Anti-Narcotics Cell, and Panaji Police Station are among many that suffer considerable staff shortage.
The problem is far from new. For more than a year, senior police leadership has grappled with the persistent failure to implement transfer orders despite repeated directions from the Director General of Police and public warnings from Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.
The issue has been particularly visible in the case of women police personnel. Internal records reviewed earlier by The Goan showed that several women constables and officers transferred to Panaji PS continued to serve elsewhere for months -- and in some cases nearly a year -- after their transfer orders were issued.
At some of the police stations, the women's help desks are frequently left understaffed, forcing available personnel to juggle multiple responsibilities.
During a review meeting last year, senior officers ordered that all pending transfers be implemented within 48 hours. Subsequent communications warned of disciplinary action, salary freezes and other measures against officers failing to comply. Yet, the subsequent transfer exercise reportedly followed a familiar script.
