PANAJI
Nearly a month after the Goa Police transferred 704 personnel, the majority-- an estimated 50-60 per cent -- still sit at their outgoing posts.
This has raised serious questions about whether Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s efforts to enforce transfers and ensure immediate relief are being taken seriously by the elite force.
The Goan has credible information that the transfers, hailed as a routine shake-up of the constabulary to sub-inspectors ranks last month, appear to be little more than a paper exercise despite orders to move “with immediate effect.”
What’s also shockingly true, many have been reshuffled to stations within the same sub-divisions or simply a stone’s throw from their previous postings.
For example, at least 50 per cent of the total personnel moved to and from Panaji police station are either stranded at their outgoing posts or yet to report to their new postings, as of Monday.
A perplexing bureaucratic limbo hangs over the force as some officers have languished at the same station for years. One striking example: Constable Chandan Tarale, officially transferred from the Special Branch (Panaji) to Panaji PS, managed to secure his posting at the Secretariat instead.
This administrative chaos is not confined to Panaji but across the State, as officials are shuffled within absurdly short distances. Take Abhishek Parab, for instance, who has been transferred from the Office of SP (North) Reader to the Office of SP (North) Porvorim -- a mere formality with no actual relocation involved. Similarly, Mukesh Korgaonkar’s transfer from SP (North) Porvorim to the Porvorim police station raises eyebrows, as both offices sit in the same district headquarters.
Such reshuffling extends to transfers between Traffic units and Police Stations within the same area. In Canacona, four personnel were swapped between Traffic Cell Canacona and the main police station, while another five were transferred in the opposite direction.
Margao and Colva too saw at least 8-10 officials traded between stations and traffic cells. In Ponda, around 25 personnel have been juggled internally with 13 transfers from traffic to the main police station and 12 moved the other way around.
At the Panaji-Old Goa-Agassaim subdivision, about a dozen personnel are caught in a game of musical chairs. The situation is the same at PHQ – housing some important offices and GRP, Altinho wherein over 30 personnel bounced between nearby units including ATS Panaji, Special Branch, Security Unit, and State Police Control Room, Motor Transport Section, etc. The irony is glaring-- transfers that don’t change a thing except to expose the cracks in the system.
The Goan recently spoke to Director General of Police Alok Kumar who confirmed that the transferred personnel will soon be relieved. “We are monitoring it,” he said.
Another senior officer indicated that certain officials have not been relieved as they are either CCTV (or technical) experts, have good knowledge of crime records, probing important cases or are on leave.
