Calangute, North Goa's busiest tourist hub. The Traffic Police office sits on a panchayat-owned property and is responsible for fining drivers for everything from unpaid challans to non-functional signals. Since April 23, it has had no electricity, after the Goa Electricity Department disconnected supply over an unpaid bill of Rs 8,10,567 that the Home Department had let pile up since 2023. Computers have been moved to another office. Night shifts run by candle. Tourists who actually want to pay their traffic fines are being turned away because the office cannot accept them.
On April 28, after five days of darkness, the Calangute Traffic Police office issued no formal statement, because issuing a formal statement requires functioning electronics. Goa Electricity Department records reportedly showed Rs 8,10,567 in unpaid bills accumulating since 2023, which is the kind of dues figure that suggests no one has ever quite been put in charge of paying it. Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao called it 'a stark reminder of how poorly our government is functioning.' Congress leader Amarnath Panjikar pointed out that under Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Goa has somehow contrived to be a state where there are 'no funds to clear basic utility bills' for the police office that issues utility-grade fines to motorists every day. The tourists, the panchayat, and the traffic constables themselves are all aware of the same essential fact: the easiest way to escape a Calangute traffic challan is to pretend you are willing to pay it, and then watch the office be unable to accept the money.