TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: An overburdened and understaffed Cuncolim Police Station literally struggled to investigate the spate of desecrations, besides thefts and burglaries reported within its jurisdiction recent times.
A lone police sub inspector, PSI Tukaram Chawan was seen running from pillar to post as the desecration incidents at Velim, Cuncolim and Banda-Assolna exposed the chinks in the Cuncolim Police. Strange it may seem, but true that the Cuncolim police station is manned by a single police sub-inspector as the police station in-charge, PI Raju Raut Desai is on leave following the demise of his mother. An additional police sub-inspector, who was transferred to Cuncolim, months ago, is yet to take charge.
The situation at the Assolna Police Outpost, which has jurisdiction over Banda ward, is no better and wears a sorry picture. The police outpost, which was set up to take police administration nearer to the people of Assolna, Ambelim and Velim, is manned by a havaldar and two police constables. Inquiries have revealed that the police outpost has no vehicle of its own and has to depend on the lone vehicle at the Cuncolim police station for the transport requirements.
Says a police official in the know: “Cuncolim police station is a neglected lot. The Chief Minister is talking about shortcomings in intelligence gathering, but there’s no manpower to man the police station and the outpost at Assolna”.
When newspersons drew attention of the Velim MLA Benjamin D’Silva during his visit to the St Joseph Chapel at Banda on Saturday evening about the manpower shortage, the MLA said he has petitioned to the Chief Minister to post a PSI to man the Assolna outpost.
Residents of Banda and Cuncolim in general have complained of absence of police patrolling at night. They pointed out that the PCR vans with the Cuncolim police should be deployed for night patrolling instead of keeping them stationary at selective points.
Incidentally, blame it on manpower shortage or otherwise, the Cuncolim police have miserably failed to detect any of the robberies and burglaries that occurred in its jurisdiction since last year. In fact, robberies have caused a fear psychosis amongst the women folk, especially early morning church goers and joggers, who became the victims.
