TEAM HERALD
PONDA: A Police-Public interaction at Ponda on account of the IGP’s visit to the town turned into a finger-pointing exercise on Monday, with the police and public insisting that the other should set up CCTV sets to improve law and order in Ponda.
This issue came to the fore when Inspector General of Police Sunil Garg along with SP (north) Priyanka Kashyap, Ponda DySP Dinraj Govekar and Ponda Police Inspector C L Patil interacted with some prominent citizens and a few vendors at the Ponda police station regarding steps to curtail crimes in the taluka, traffic problems and other related security issues in Ponda taluka.
During the meeting, members of the public suggested that CCTV sets be installed by the police at prime locations, to monitor crimes in the locality.
IGP Garg promptly replied that it was not financially possible for the government to install CCTV cameras and instead, felt that the vendors and people should contribute collectively and install these CCTV sets in strategic places.
Garg said he would like to see CCTV sets installed by vendors within the next two months, when he returns to Ponda to review the implementation of Monday’s meeting.
Problems pertaining to haphazard halting of bus at undesignated stops, consumption of drugs by college students, parking problems, illegal bars were highlighted by the people.
They also apprised the IGP on illegal occupation of footpaths by vendors, the controversial Sopo tax and the issue of tinted glasses on vehicles.
Responding to public opposition of helmets for pillion riders, IGP Garg made it clear that it was a government policy decision and the police had no say in the matter.
Commenting on the shortage of manpower at the Ponda police station, he said that 80 new trainees would be recruited into the police force, thereby solving the problem.
The sarpanchas of Shiroda, Borim and Bhoma also participated in the meeting.
