Team Goemkarponn
VERNA: Velsao social worker and former Velsao Village Panchayat member Roquezinho D’Souza has urged the State Government to urgently strengthen the Verna Police Station, citing a shortage of 34 personnel and growing policing demands in the region.
D’Souza submitted a representation to Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant, the Director General of Police and the Inspector General of Police, stating that the Verna Police Station has a sanctioned strength of 110 personnel, against which only 76 are currently in position. He also handed over a copy of the representation to Verna Police Inspector Anand Shirodkar on Thursday morning.
D’Souza said the issue extends beyond filling existing vacancies, as the sanctioned strength was fixed years ago when the population, industrial activity, traffic and overall development of the area were considerably lower.
According to him, the Verna Police Station now has a significantly larger policing responsibility, including support to the Verna, Cortalim and Birla police outposts. The expansion of residential settlements, commercial establishments, vehicular movement and industrial activity has substantially increased the workload on the police force.
D’Souza has particularly sought greater police presence in the Birla-Zuarinagar area, which has a population of more than 20,000. He said the area requires regular patrolling, faster police response and adequate manpower, and urged the Government to revive the earlier proposal to upgrade the Birla Police Outpost into a full-fledged police station.
He also highlighted the presence of the Verna and Sancoale Industrial Estates, where large numbers of workers, vehicles and commercial establishments generate significant daily movement. He said these areas require regular patrolling, traffic management, crime prevention and emergency response.
D’Souza said the existing manpower shortage is placing additional pressure on police personnel, who are required to manage round-the-clock patrolling, complaints, investigations, emergencies and law-and-order duties with limited resources.
He has demanded the immediate filling of all 34 vacant sanctioned posts while also calling for a fresh scientific assessment of the manpower required at Verna Police Station. The assessment, he said, should consider the present population, geographical jurisdiction, crime pattern, industrial activity, traffic movement, number of outposts and the actual policing workload.
He further urged the Government to increase the sanctioned strength wherever necessary instead of continuing with an outdated manpower structure. Future population growth and development should also be considered to prevent another manpower shortage in the coming years, he said.
“This is not merely a demand to fill vacant police posts. It is a demand to bring the policing infrastructure of Verna in line with the realities of today. The population has grown, industries have expanded, traffic has increased and the jurisdiction has become more demanding. Our police personnel must be provided adequate manpower and resources to protect the people effectively,” D’Souza said.
He urged the Government to treat the strengthening of Verna Police Station as a matter of public safety and take immediate steps to address both the existing vacancies and the broader need for adequate policing infrastructure in the rapidly developing region.
