MARGAO
A day after the Director General of Police visited the commercial capital to take stock of the security situation in the wake of the gruesome Swapnil Walke murder, an armed policeman was seen manning the kiosk set up in front of the Comunidade square on Friday.That’s not all. Senior police officers on descended on the bustling markets in the commercial capital on Friday with a view to beef up security arrangements.
The measures have been put in place after DGP, Mukesh Kumar Meena, visited the South district police headquarters to take stock of the situation post-Swapnil Walke murder with district police officials and to interact with city goldsmiths and market traders.
If an armed guard was found manning the almost abandoned kiosk on Friday, a police van with armed guards will be parked right at the heart of the New Market from Saturday.
A team comprising Margao Sub-divisional Police Officer, DySP Kiran Podwal, Margao police station in-charge PI Sachin Narvekar and policemen descended were seen at the New Market to shortlist a site for the police van to park and provide armed security in the area.
In fact, the team shortlisted the junction between Lily Garments and textile shop lane in the New Market as an ideal site for the police van to park. The site has been shortlisted not just because a number of jewellery shops are located near the place, but police officials believe that the site offers an opportunity for the security personnel to move in any direction, towards the station road and Gandhi market and the pick-up stand.
Margao SDPO, DySP Kiran Podwal, however, said the location of the site where the armed van will park will be finally decided by Superintendent of Police, South, Mahesh Gaonkar.
At yesterday’s interaction with the DGP Mukesh Kumar Meena, the delegation of jewellers had offered to provide two more booths for the police if required in the market area and had requested the police chief to explore the possibility of deploying armed police guards in the market.
