PANJIM: The promotion of four Deputy Superintendents of Police has led to creation of four vacancies, adding to the already existing vacuum due to discontinuation of direct recruits through Public Service Commission as well as delays in promoting police inspectors meeting the criteria.
Several police inspectors, who are otherwise eagerly waiting for the promotion, have been opposing the concept of direct recruitment but are also upset over the inordinate delay in filling these posts.
Surprisingly, the process for direct recruitment of DySPs in Goa Police Service was last carried out more than two decades ago, precisely in 1998 when the last batch of six officers of the rank of DySP was recruited by the Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC).
Department sources informed Herald that in October 2017, a requisition for direct recruitment of 15 DySPs was sent to the GPSC; however, the Commission on examining the proposal found some discrepancies and sent the file back to the Personnel Department to rectify the errors.
“One of the lacunae in the proposal was that no syllabus was prescribed for the written examination and the other was that Selection Committee should have GPSC’s Chairman to head this committee instead of the Chief Secretary. The proposal has been stuck in the concerned departments for this rectification for the last three years,” the source said.
Herald contacted GPSC Chairman Jose Manuel Noronha, who confirmed that the Commission is awaiting the proposal for direct recruitment of DySPs to initiate the process. He also stated that it was in the larger interest of the Goa Police Service to induct these officers as some DySPs and newly promoted SPs are due for retirement in the next two years or so. “The impact will be felt then,” he added.
Due to the shortage of DySP rank officers many officers have been holding more than one charge resulting in overburdening the existing batch besides not providing the level of service as desired.
A senior police officer said the Police Service Rules provide for direct recruitment and these positions cannot be filled by promotions alone. Delay in filling these positions will result in issues related to seniority and litigations in future.
Herald has also learnt that a proposal for promotion of five police inspectors to the DySP rank is in the pipeline, but until all the vacant police officer positions are filled, the top brass will have difficulties in Goa Police Service cadre management.
On the other hand, a large chunk of police inspectors are opposing the direct recruitment and eying for a promotion based on the recommendations of Gore Commission, which had suggested that this higher rank should be filled with promotion.
Herald had been regularly reporting about the tussle over filling up of the posts through direct recruitments with some in the government opposing 100 percent promotions. Successive governments have been amending direct recruitment quota percentage from time to time. The promotion and direct recruitment ratio was amended from 80:20 in 1997 to 50:50 in 2011 and a fresh proposal to make it to 60:40 in July 2019. This proposal has not met any logical end due to opposition from separate groups over direct recruitments and promotions.
