Even as the Goa Opposition continues to criticise the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar over the recent law and order flare-up in the State, Mr. Parrikar is planning to write to the Home Ministry detailing its shortage of police personnel.
Mr. Parrikar, who is under pressure from Opposition parties to give up his Home portfolio, told The Hindu on Thursday that he would inform the MHA of the problems of policing faced by the coastal tourist State as a result of the Ministry’s failure to regularly send it sufficient numbers of IPS officers.
The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party have demanded Mr. Parrikar’s resignation as Home Minister after the near-riotous situation created by a mob of Nigerians protesting against the murder of their compatriot. The mob had held traffic on NH-17 to ransom for a few hours, attacked police officials and locals and damaged public property . Normalcy was later restored after the police force was beefed up.
Goa is part of the Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre for IAS and IPS postings. Mr. Parrikar had, when he took over in March 2012, expressed a similar grouse against the MHA over its failure to depute IAS and IPS officers of his choice.
At present, Goa has but eight IPS cadre officers and most of the posts were usually vacant, said Mr. Parrikar.
“Our Director-General of Police [Kishan Kumar] is required to be present for medical treatment time and again in New Delhi. There is nothing against him personally,” Mr. Parrikar said.
The post of Inspector-General of Police has been vacant since January 2013 as are the Dy. Inspector-General of Police posts. Two IPS officers were currently officiating as DIGs, Mr. Parrikar said, criticising the MHA for having a “careless and callous attitude” towards a State which is known as a major international tourist destination and has a huge movement of dignitaries and VIPS.