PANAJI
Goa Police’s command structure continues to carry a missing rung. Nearly eight months after 19 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySPs) were promoted to the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP), the latest transfer order shows that the resulting vacancies at the DySP level remain largely unfilled, which has ultimately forced several senior officers to continue shouldering subordinate-level charges.
The September 10 order brings back the imbalance. SP Francisco Corte, who had been awaiting a posting, has been given charge of SP, Economic Offences Cell (EOC), while also retaining the DySP, EOC charge.
SP Braz Menezes, also awaiting posting, has been handed an even wider spread of responsibilities. Apart from being given charge of SP, Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and DySP, FRRO, he will also continue as Commandant of the 2nd and 3rd Indian Reserve Battalion (IRBn).
SP Vishwesh Karpe, meanwhile, has been directed to oversee two police subdivisions -- Panaji and Porvorim -- as SDPO (DySP).
Similarly, SP Ashish Shirodkar, who was holding charge as SDPO, Quepem, has been assigned the same ranking post -- SDPO, Pernem and Mapusa.
The latest order is not an isolated instance of officers carrying multiple responsibilities. The pattern emerged soon after the government’s major promotion exercise, when a large number of DySP-level posts were left vacant after the elevation of serving DySPs.
As per provisional records, Goa Police has around 11 serving DySPs against a sanctioned strength of 47, leaving 36 posts vacant.
A separate transfer order issued in June had already highlighted the extent to which the shortage was being managed through additional charges. Sidhant Shirodkar, posted as SDPO, Margao, was also handling SDPO, Kushavati and DySP (HQ), South. Roy Pereira, posted as DySP, Coastal Security, was simultaneously looking after the Election Cell, SPCR, Panaji and Pink Force, Panaji.
Gurudas Kadam continued as SDPO, Vasco, Rajendra Prabhudesai as DySP, Traffic South, and Nerlon Albuquerque as DySP, Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC), among other officers carrying additional responsibilities.
The September 10 order has also triggered another round of changes at the Police Inspector level.
PI Paresh Naik, who was recently transferred to the Crime Branch, has been moved again, this time to the Traffic Cell at Mopa.
PI Gouresh Malik has been posted to the Traffic Cell, Pernem. Malik has been named in a public interest litigation before the High Court of Bombay at Goa seeking reopening of a self-shooting case against him.
The PIL also raised allegations of registration of a purportedly false FIR against government officer Kashinath Shetye.
Shetye had alleged that he and others conspired against and implicated him in an extortion and assault case after he was allegedly attacked while raising issues of illegal landfilling affecting mangroves and salt pans at Merces. The matter is pending before the State Police Complaints Authority.
