Hundreds of fishermen from Dahanu and Talasari were stranded at different jetties at Okha, Veraval, Porbunder in Gujarat after the nationwide lockdown was announced to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. After being refused entry at two ports, they were finally allowed to dock at Dahanu jetty with the help of local fishermen on Friday. Starting April 13, nearly 9,500 fishermen have returned bit by bit in 80 trawlers.
- Local fishermen and members of the Dahanu Machhimar Society served the stranded fishermen poha (flattened rice) for breakfast. “Bhau (brother), please give me some more pohe (flattened rice), I haven’t eaten in two days,” Soma Burkut, a fisherman from village Gholwad in Dahanu, makes an impassioned plea, shouting out to a local fisherman from his trawler.
The fishermen were refused entry at two Gujarat ports — Nargol and Umbergaon. At Nargoi, the local residents refused to let them disembark, fearing they were carrying the disease. In Umbergaon, the locals pelted stones at them, and “threatened to call the Navy, as if we are terrorists,” said Jiva Lakhat, one the fishermen who sailed in from Veraval, Gujarat.
After disembarking at Dahanu, the fishermen were taken to St. Mary's School in the vicinity for testing. The local administration also got their respective village sarpanchs (Village head) to take them home, after advising home quarantine for the next 14 days.
The fishermen await their turn for testing at Saint Mary's school. A government official said the situation has taken the authorities by surprise. “We are not trained to handle such a large influx of fishermen. We handle thousands of staffers during elections but this is something we never imagined. If Maharashtra is taking care of migrants why did the Gujarat government allow them to leave the State?” he said.
Fishermen underwent thermal scan during health check up at St.Marys school in Dahanu in Palghar district, Maharashtra, India.
Officials put a 'Home Quarantine' stamp on fishermen's wrists during the course of testing at the school. Jitendra Marde, Secretary, Dahanu Machhimar Society, says: “ If we had also refused them entry, they would have had no place to go to.”
Fishermen who have 'home quarantine' stamped on their wrists wait for vehicles bound for their respective villages. None of them were of social distancing.
Vehicles were packed to the brim as they prepared to leave for different villages
COVID-19: A Long Ordeal at Sea
Prashant Nakwe
Photojournalist
based in Mumbai
Public Story
COVID-19: A Long Ordeal at Sea
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