Basuri Desai
A procurement by Goa’s An ti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has become a butt of ridicule after it emerged that sling shots — the kind available on line for just Rs 249 — were bought as equipment to negate terror threats and that too at a jaw-dropping Rs 1,800 each. The revelation has triggered dis belief and ridicule, raising questions about how a premier counter-ter ror agency could end up paying seven times the market price for what is essentially a toy often found in children’s fairs. Investigators traced the listed sup plier to a residential house in Talei gao. When contacted, the owner re directed enquiries to a well-known outlet in Panjim, which admitted it had once sold sling shots for around Rs 1,200 apiece before discontin uing sales due to problems with rubber melting.
Meanwhile, e-commerce websites continues to hawk similar products for less than the price of a roadside sand wich. The controversy has left the ATS squirming, with Super intendent of Police (ATS) Edwin Culaso confirming that a report has been filed with the department. Defending the purchases, Culaso insisted the sling shots were meant for training. “We cannot use ammunition every time, and such methods are being used by security agencies in other coun tries as well,” he said. But the explanation has only fuelled more mockery.
Goa Forward Party chief Vijai Sardesai, who flagged the matter in the Assembly, was unsparing in his criticism. “With such sling shots, only a bird can be hit. Why did the ATS need to purchase them at such exorbitant rates? This is nothing but a waste of government funds,” Sardesai said, demanding a full review of all ATS procurements. And sling shots are just the tip of the iceberg.
Sources say the squad has also picked up sunglasses of dubious quali ty that could damage commandos’ eyesight, while dipping into purchases usually handled by the Motor Transport Section — like car-washing pumps, mechanic tool kits and puncture repair kits. For an agency tasked with protecting the State from ter ror threats, the revelations have sparked uncomfortable questions: Is the ATS spending more time shopping than training? And worse — is it prepared to face militants with overpriced toys