Police stations across Goa struggle to meet even the minimum standards required of a modern democracy
Goa takes pride in its modern infrastructure. The state recorded 1.4 crore tourist arrivals in 2024, with airports, hotels, and highways receiving steady investment. Yet, the very institutions tasked with maintaining law and order remain mired in outdated facilities. Police stations across Goa whether Fatorda, Maina-Curtorim, Margao Town, or the colonial headquarters in Panaji struggle to meet even the minimum standards required of a modern democracy.
Fatorda: A Makeshift Station in Waiting
For nearly a decade, the Fatorda Police Station operated out of temporary quarters within the police residential block at Arlem, an unsafe structure earlier deemed unfit for habitation. In 2024, authorities laid the foundation stone for a new station and police quarters on the same site. Until construction is completed, operations continue from temporary premises within the Arlem complex, a reminder that a stop-gap arrangement has turned into a prolonged reality. The building’s delay is symptomatic of a larger problem: once a structure is condemned, demolition and rebuilding often remain stalled in bureaucratic bottlenecks. Meanwhile, frontline officers are compelled to discharge their duties from facilities never intended to sustain them.
Maina-Curtorim: Plans Stalled by Controversy
The Maina-Curtorim Police Station faced a similar fate. In 2021, it was shifted to a vacated school building in Raia, far from its intended constituency. A purpose-built facility was proposed at Sonsoddo, but the plan encountered sustained opposition from residents alarmed at the large-scale felling of trees in an eco-sensitive zone. The project remains stuck, leaving officers in a state of limbo. The consequence is more than symbolic. Police officers posted in such temporary quarters often lack the infrastructure needed to serve efficiently: from inadequate office space to deficient storage for records and poor facilities for the public who approach the station.
Overcrowded Lock-Ups: A Public Health Risk
The fragility of Goa’s police infrastructure was highlighted starkly in August 2025, when Fatorda’s premises were under renovation. All detainees had to be moved to Margao’s lock-ups, severely overcrowding the cells. These spaces, meant for a handful of detainees at a time, were suddenly stretched far beyond capacity. Such conditions are not just uncomfortable; they are dangerous. Overcrowding heightens the risk of disease transmission, sparks tensions among detainees, and places staff at greater risk of altercations. For those held only on remand, presumed innocent until proven guilty, the indignity of being confined in such conditions raises serious questions about the State’s commitment to justice.
Human Rights Standards Ignored
India is bound by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which mandates that “all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.” The U.N. Mandela Rules (the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners) reinforce these obligations by requiring proper lighting, ventilation, sanitation, and medical access. Though framed primarily for prisons, they apply with equal force to police lock-ups. Even India’s own judiciary has sounded the alarm. In 2021, the then Chief Justice of India, N. V. Ramana, cautioned that “the most dangerous places for human rights violations are police stations.” His remarks underscored the need for transparency and reform, especially in states like Goa that rely on a reputation of safety to attract millions of international visitors.
Working Conditions for Police Personnel
The problem extends to the welfare of police personnel themselves. Research by Human Rights Watch has described Indian police infrastructure as “crumbling”, with stations often set in colonial-era buildings and lacking basic equipment. Officers live and work in degrading conditions, with inadequate rest space and sanitation, sometimes in quarters no better than the lock-ups they guard. Such environments take a toll on morale, fatigue, and effectiveness.
Budgetary Promises and Delayed Delivery
The Goa government has made promises of change. The police budget has seen a substantial boost, with allocations for new police stations at Fatorda, Old Goa, and Chandor, as well as a much-needed reconstruction of the Panaji Police Headquarters. Yet, progress remains painfully slow. The Panaji headquarters, identified for overhaul as far back as 2017, is still incomplete despite repeated assurances that work would finish within eight months. Old Goa, too, has been delayed due to heritage-area objections, leaving plans half-executed and officers once again waiting for modern premises.
A Call to Action
If Goa is to maintain its image as a secure, modern state, police infrastructure must be treated as a priority equal to airports and highways.
The Home Department must act on the following immediate measures:
- Publish site-wise timelines for completion of stations, beginning with Fatorda and Maina-Curtorim.
- Implement strict capacity caps in lock-ups, with minimum standards for hygiene and ventilation.
- Provide staff amenities to ensure that officers can work with dignity.
- Expand CCTV coverage and ensure public oversight of detention areas.
- Create a modernisation dashboard, openly tracking the progress.
-Longer-term, Goa must integrate these steps within the broader infrastructure although that alone cannot change policing culture, but without it, reform cannot take root.
Conclusion
The test of a civilised society lies not only in how it treats its tourists or its economic investors, but in how it equips those tasked with enforcing the law and how it treats those temporarily deprived of liberty. Goa’s police stations must reflect the same standards of dignity and efficiency that the state projects to the outside world.
