24,500 candidates compete for 479 police constable posts open for hiring

Panaji: On average, 51 candidates are competing for each police constable post in Goa, with over 24,500 applicants for 479 vacancies advertised by the Goa Staff Selection Commission (SSC).

Panaji: Granting interim relief to Colva villagers, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) to halt construction of shops being built at Colva beach under Centre’s Swadesh Darshan 2.0 programme.

The stay will remain in force until the next hearing scheduled for Aug 7.

Villagers had approached the tribunal alleging that the construction violates the CRZ notification, 2011.

“We grant interim relief to the applicant, directing that respondent no. 1 (GTDC) shall not raise any construction in pursuance of the NOC granted by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) till the next date,” the tribunal said.

During the hearing, NGT noted that despite sufficient notice, neither the GCZMA nor GTDC had filed a reply in the matter.

The Colva Civic and Consumer Forum had sought a stay on the permission granted by the GCZMA on Feb 2, 2025, allowing the GTDC to construct shops at Colva beach under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme.

The forum alleged that site inspections conducted on June 26, 2024, and Dec 2, 2024, showed that the structures were coming up within the CRZ, covering sand dunes, the intertidal zone and the no-development zone (NDZ).

The applicants argued that under the CRZ notification, no construction is permitted within the NDZ except for repairs or reconstruction of authorised structures, or housing for traditional coastal communities, including fisherfolk, under a comprehensive plan prepared by the state govt in consultation with those communities.

They contended that the project was approved in violation of these provisions.

Under the Swadesh Darshan 2.0 project, development plans for Colva beach include an arrival avenue, a pedestrian bridge, redevelopment of the shopping and food plaza, a tourist security block with CCTV surveillance, infrastructure upgrades, improved signage, street furniture and other amenities.

The proposed shops were intended to replace the existing dilapidated stores operating near the beach.


The first computer-based recruitment test will be held this week to shortlist candidates for the next round. Most applicants are graduates or diploma holders.

The SSC has initiated recruitment for 360 police constables (male/female), 119 armed police constables, 111 constable drivers (Grade III), 60 wardens (male), 23 round foresters, 13 range forest officers and nine forest guards. The drive also includes four platoon commanders, four assistant superintendents (male), 10 matrons (female), five lascars (male), two escorts (female), and one each of constable (greaser) and constable (electrician).

Out of 44 police stations in Goa, all except Mandrem are facing personnel shortages. In some stations, constable strength has exceeded sanctioned limits. There is also a shortfall of 157 police sub-inspectors (PSIs) across stations.

The state has 14 police stations in North Goa and 17 in South Goa, along with 13 specialised units, including crime, cybercrime and coastal police stations.

The highest manpower gaps in North Goa are reported at Panaji 50, Pernem 36 and Agasaim 34 police stations. In South Goa, Vasco faces a shortage of 61 personnel, followed by Colva 51 and Ponda 47.

The SSC has completed selection for 187 PSI posts, including 157 for men and 30 for LPSIs. However, it received insufficient eligible candidates for LPSI posts and for PSI posts under the economically weaker section (EWS) quota.

The recruitment drive is among the largest undertaken by the state government for PSI positions in recent years. The sanctioned strength stands at 514 male PSIs and 100 LPSIs. Currently, around 10% of the 10,782 sanctioned posts in Goa Police remain vacant, with nearly 10,000 filled.