Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panji , 24 February 1997.

Goa would be perhaps the first state in the country to incorporate the law enforcing system prevalent in Singapore and Malaysia, while preparing the Goa Police Act for the first time. It would be introduced in the coming budges session.

The tourist state, which was granted the statehood only a decade ago, was following the central police act all these years. In order to prepare its own legislation, the select committee of the House however visited few states in the country.

Amidst controversy, the committee then recently toured Singapore and the neighboring countries two weeks ago 'to study the police system' there as it was felt that Goa, being confronted with ill effects of tourism, should adopt a different system.

Chief Minister Pratapsing Rane who led the delegation of the select committee to Singapore, told after his arrival here that Goa would adopt the system or neighborhood police stations and auxiliary police prevalent there.

The neighborhood police stations would be set up to build a rapport with the people by visiting every house once in a year and attending all the social functions in the area in order to bring people more close to the police, said the chief minister.

He is also planning to introduce the system of auxiliary police, where certain private agencies and reputed citizens would be given powers of law and order controlling authorities, with specified areas.

Dr Kashinath Jalmi, the state opposition leader and part of the delegation, told the reporters here that enforcing the law is easier if people respect and implement it. He however also admits that corruption is negligible in the states like Singapore and Malaysia, cornered to India.

Jalmi, who was shouting all these years that political interference is the main cause of non-implementation of the laws, however feels today that the new legislation may bring changes in the system, without explaining how it is possible in the existing political set up.

Rane also claims that the new legislation would include stringent fines to make it more effective. He also proposes amendments to the existing acts relating to crime and drug trafficking.

The CM however could not satisfy the enraged media during the press conference in what way a trip to all these countries helped them to incorporate all these systems when it could be done by reading the literature available on it. He denies that the trip was a futile exercise.

Only one BJP legislator, who is member of the select committee, stayed away from the trip stating that it is waste of public money. The BJP even showed black flags when the delegation arrived at the air port here. UGDP MP Churchill Alemao also criticised the government for spending public money for nothing.