Lockdown 2.0: Odisha Govt Orders Probe Into Return Of Migrant Fishermen From Chennai By Boat

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Sunday ordered a probe into the return of migrant Odia fishermen from Chennai on a boat amid the lockdown.

The fishermen had landed at Patisonapur beach in Ganjam district after covering over 1000 km over the sea on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanav Behera informed that police have seized the boat which was bought by the migrant fishermen at a cost of Rs 2 lakh.

“This is the first incident in which migrant fishermen from Odisha have made their way back to their home district on sea. These fishermen should not have made this arduous voyage by putting their lives at risk,” the minister said.

“The state government has taken this incident seriously and directed the marine police to keep a strict vigil on the people arriving in the district through the sea route and take appropriate action against them,” he added.

With inter-state transport stopped and borders sealed in the wake of the nationwide lockdown, a group of 38 fishermen comprising 27 from Odisha and 11 from Andhra Pradesh working in a fishing company in Chennai decided to buy a fishing boat for Rs 2 lakh. Later, they started their journey to Odisha on April 20 and arrived at the Patisonapur beach of Ganjam district in the evening on April 25.

Soon after their arrival, police and officials of Ganjam district administration, waiting for their return after getting information about their return, took them to a quarantine facility at a cyclone shelter after the initial medical screening.