Heavy workload is a common grievance at many police stations in the State. But the situation is quite the opposite at one police station and for a change, no one is complaining.
With just three criminal cases recorded within a month at the newly formed Saligao police station, the 39-member staff members are certainly a relaxed lot. What was intended to be a police station for an entire Saligao constituency is now a police station for merely two villages, Saligao and Sangolda.
Following a rift between two prominent politicians, the State government issued a notification for the formation of a new Saligao police station in January, by bi-furcating the Calangute police station. The panchayats of Saligao and Sangolda, earlier a part of Calangute police station, were immediately brought under the jurisdiction of Saligao police station.
During his visit to Pilerne in July, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had told media persons that the GSIDC would construct the new police station for Saligao constituency at Pilerne, while the Calangute police station would cater to areas in Calangute constituency.
As such, the Saligao police station was intended to cater to the five panchayats of Saligao, Sangolda, Pilerne, Nerul and Reis Magos in Saligao constituency.
However, the Saligao police station started functioning as a separate full-fledged police station from August 12, but the full jurisdiction of the new Saligao police station has not been notified as yet. As a result, the new police station continues to cater to only Saligao and Sangolda.
During the period from August 12 to September 11, the Saligao police station registered only three criminal cases. The Saligao police station, headed by PI Nilesh Rane, is presently equipped with two Hawaldars, 32 police constables and four women police constables.
The Saligao police station presently operates from the Calangute police station premises and it is yet to be given a separate telephone line. As such, people call the Calangute police station and police at the Calangute police station then intimates their counterparts at the Saligao police station about the phone call.
When contacted,DySP Nelson Albuquerque stated that the State government has proposed to increase the number of police stations. “The main idea to have separate police station for each constituency is to provide efficient services to the people in that constituency,” he said.
Saligao MLA Dilip Parulekar confirmed that areas such as Pilerne, Nerul and Reis Magos, which are to be included in the Saligao Police station, have not been notified as yet.
