CALANGUTE
Should you decide to visit the Calangute Traffic Police Cell office, don’t be surprised if you are directed to a football stadium in Calangute.
With a jurisdiction that stretches 13 busy villages/areas and an accident-prone zone of the highway, visitors are taken aback to find the Traffic Police Cell office hidden inside the Poriat football stadium complex. What’s worse, the office is acutely short-staffed (nearly half of its sanctioned strength), poorly maintained and the rainwater seepage is such, that there is a little puddle of water in one room of the office.
The few amenities available to the traffic police staff include a TV set and a refrigerator, incidentally, donated by a well-wisher. While one room is allotted to the police inspector heading the Traffic Police Cell, another serves as a dormitory and there are no facilities for preparing meals and refreshments. Besides, two beds have to be shared by 34 traffic staff.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one traffic policeman told Herald that working conditions are gruelling at the Calangute Traffic Police Cell.
“We are located in the football stadium and during matches, the noise is deafening and we can barely hear anyone in the office. The many vehicles parked during matches prevents us from entering/exiting our office,” said the traffic policeman.
“Due to acute staff shortage, we cannot even take our leave properly. Even if we get some days off, we are summoned back to duty to relieve a sick colleague,” he added.
“While we appreciate Calangute panchayat for providing us with space, the facilities provided and our working conditions are terrible. The huge workload and the wide distance to cover 20 tourism/traffic hotspots at Calangute, Candolim and Porvorim are simply unimaginable. Adding to our woes, we now have additional work for the forthcoming assembly session at Porvorim,” he said.
When contacted, Calangute Traffic Police Cell PI Shaikh Salim admitted the many difficulties, including unhealthy conditions, prevailing in the office.
“There is heavy water leakage in my office, where computers and important documents are kept. Documents and computers can easily get destroyed due to the moisture,” said Salim.
“Though it is an office-cum-room, it is difficult to rest due to water seepage. The office staff has to manage in a separate room with two beds and there is no other facility, except for a TV set and a refrigerator donated by a well-wisher,” he said.
“There is no changing room, but the boys have to manage under such conditions. There is no cleaner or sweeper provided to clean the premises and we face problems parking our vehicles. We need healthy conditions to provide better services to the public,” he added.
When contacted, Calangute Panch Joseph Sequeira, who was instrumental in setting up the Calangute Traffic Police Cell, said: “We provided a place for the Traffic Police Cell, solely to ease traffic woes in Calangute.”
“The Calangute Traffic Police Cell is now catering to many villages, while Calangute has been neglected although we have been paying for fuel, electricity charges, etc.” said Sequeira.
Sequeira claimed that he was unaware of poor conditions at the Traffic Police Cell office.
“Neither the police inspector nor other staff at the Traffic Police Cell brought it to our notice about the leaking rooms and other difficulties,” said Sequeira.
“We had earlier carried out repairs and even extended the shed over the office premises when it was brought to our notice by the Calangute Traffic Police Cell. However, we will repair the leakages once the rains subside or else, we will cover the stands to solve the problem,” he added.
When contacted, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo has also assured to provide better facilities for the Calangute Traffic Police Cell.
“Since the land belongs to the State government and the project was initiated by well-wishers of Calangute, I will request GSIDC to complete the entire stadium, including seating arrangements, and hand it over to a government-appointed committee in consultation with Calangute Panchayat.”
“I will request the State government to construct a separate office for the Calangute Traffic Police Cell in the adjoining land belonging to the tourism department, which has been neglected by the department over the years,” he said.
