MARGAO: The Colva Police station is in dire need of new building. The old Portuguese house is too small for the stations.
The Colva police station has a major area of Salcete Coastal region under its jurisdiction. The highly frequented tourism belt sees a number of crimes — drug trade, accidents, sex trade, and others. The police station has been housed in a rented premise for decades now. The police department is paying Rs 20,000 as rent to the owner. This rent was Rs 3 thousand till 2007 but was increased to 20,000, recently.
It is told that the proposal for new premises has been there for a long time. The rent of the police station has been less earlier, but the owner increased the rent to Rs 20,000 recently. The owners of this house have settled abroad. This house is highly dated and there is no place for police to stay or rest.
Some of the goods from the police station are kept in the gallery by putting a plastic cover. The house has three rooms and filled to the brim forcing the police to use veranda. The night duty staffers have no barrack arrangement in the police station. Hence, the police who are transferred to this station from distant areas of Goa have to rent houses in Colva or Margao areas.
The police station doesn’t have a canteen. An official has to sit with the computer in the front veranda. The lady police constables have to use the same toilet used by men at Colva police station.
In addition to the lack of space, the house is very old and is overdue for maintenance. The rights to repairs and maintenance are reserved by the owner who stays abroad due to which the department can’t undertake repairs of the house.
South Goa Superintendent of Police Arvind Gawas has accepted that Colva Police urgently requires a new place. “A new police station is proposed in Tourism Department land,” told SP Gawas.
The power of attorney of this house which was earlier held by Agnel Fernandes said that after the death of the owner abroad the power of attorney has expired and now he can’t even accept the rent.
