Panaji: The Government today informed the full bench of the Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) headed by retired Justice U. V. Bakre and comprising of former District Judges Desmond D’Costa and Pramod Kamat that the proposed inauguration of the Zuarinagar Police station at Sancoale scheduled for tomorrow will not be held. The Police Station was to be inaugurated tomorrow at 10.30 am by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Chandrakant Kavlekar and local MLA Alina Saldanha.
Adv. Aires Rodrigues in his complaint to the GHRC last week while questioning the reported skewed move by the Government to try and hurriedly convert the very badly equipped Sancoale Police Outpost into a full fledged Police Station, pointed out that the current outpost housed in a very cramped shed cannot properly accommodate the outpost and its mere five staff and wondered as to how this very small premises would take care of a police force of at least 40 which is the minimum staff that would be required to run a Police Station.
Superintendent of Police Bossuet Silva today appearing on behalf of the Director General of Police submitted before the GHRC that the Zuarinagar Police Station would be inaugurated only after the entire infrastructure and amenities were in place with all the legal formalities including the notification of the police station done. While directing the Chief Secretary and DGP to file a detailed reply the GHRC adjourned the matter to 15th March.
As directed yesterday a team of the GHRC headed by its Secretary Vikas Gaunekar inspected the site of the proposed Zuarinagar Police Station and submitted its report to the Commission on the factual and ground realities.
Adv. Rodrigues had submitted to the GHRC that the government was unlawfully acting in breach of law and pointed out that the setting up of a new police station needs to be first notified in the official gazette and that the jurisdiction of the new police station had to be also specified in terms of Section 2(s) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
While stating that the guidelines on setting up of Police stations laid down by the Bureau of Police Research and Development of the Ministry of Home Affairs had not been adhered to, Adv. Rodrigues expressed concern for the health and well being of the police staff besides the public that would be visiting the police station
Adv. Rodrigues while stating in his complaint that the government was planning to hurriedly have a farcical and mock inauguration of the Police Station, had sought that the government should inaugurate the Zuarinagar Police Station only after all the required infrastructure and necessary amenities were in place, as the Police Station will have to cater to a very huge population of over 25,000 comprising residents of the Panchayats of Sancoale, Cansaulim and Velsao-Pale.
Adv. Rodrigues in his complaint further stated that despite the GHRC on several occasions having emphasized that the Police are Human beings and should be so treated, that it was dismaying the authorities were consistently paying scant respect to the welfare and well being of the police while acting in gross violation of their Human Rights.
Adv. Rodrigues had also sought that the Chief Secretary and DGP be directed to explain as to how they will permit the police personnel to suffer hardship and misery while ruining their health in rank violation of their Human Rights without the necessary infrastructure and basic facilities at the proposed Zuarinagar Police Station.
