Families of seafarers protest outside Goa CM’s residence

Panaji, April 15 (IANS) The spouses and families of nearly a dozen seafarers staged a protest outside the Chief Minister’s official residence in Panaji, demanding that the state government make urgent efforts to repatriate more than 8,000 Goan sailors, who are currently stranded in different ports-of-call across the world.

The families were subsequently detained by the Panaji Police for violtion of lockdown norms, even as Leader of Oppostion Digambar Kamat called their arrest “unfortunate”.

“There are roughly 8,000 seafarers from Goa who are stranded. The number may go up to 10,000. The CM is not giving us any assurance on getting them back,” Gina Pereira, a wife of a seafarer told reporters outside the Chief Minister’s residence. Pereira said, that her husband is working with Symphony cruises and had been quarantined for more than 18 days already.

Pereira and other families of seafarers were later detained by the police and evicted from outside the Chief Minister’s residence and taken to the Panaji police station.

Reacting to their arrest, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said: “It is most unfortunate that the family members of seafarers at the Chief Minister’s residence, including women are arrested. They are concerned about their loved ones and it is our duty to give them mental strength and courage during these testing times. Seafarers have contributed to the Economy of Goa,” Kamat said.

Speaking to reporters, Goa’s Civil Supplies Minister Govind Gaude said that striking outside the Chief Minister’s residence during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was wrong.

“What will you get by going on strike like this. There is a procedure, which has to be followed. They (families of seafarers) are doing the wrong thing,” Gaude said.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has repeatedly said, that he is in touch with the Prime Minister’s Officer over the stranded seafarers issue and that their repatriation would be based on a policy and decisions taken by the Union Ministry of External Affairs.

–IANS

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