Goa govt at sea over repatriating seamen

THE GOANNETWORKPANAJINearly 8000 Goans among over 20,000 seafarers from across the country are stranded in distress at ports across the globe but the State administration seems clueless how to repatriate them and is pushing the ball in the Centre's court.Worried leaders of the seafarer community engaged with both politicians and top bureaucrats over the last several days but expressed displeasure that no concrete steps are being taken to work out any plan to repatriate them back home with any sense of urgency. Instead, several senior seafarera who separately met with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Chief Secretary Parimal Rai, NRI Commissioner Narendra Sawaikar among others on Monday expressed anxiety that the government is moving at a snails pace while other countries were already faciltating their return by airlifting their nationals in co-ordination with the employer shipping companies. The Goan seamen association of India (GSAI) on Monday met Union  Ayush Minister Shripad Naik and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and demanded to pursue with the central government to bring these seafarers back immediately."To date we had made 3 representation to the government. We want implementation and action in this regard", said GSAI president Frank Veigas."We know bringing back all of the seafarers at a time is not possible, but at least those seafarers who have come together in foreign countries should be brought back immediately before the lockdown period gets over", said GSAI former president Dixon Vaz.Captain Venzy Viegas said, a plan by which seafarers stranded on ships which had positive cases, are brought back and quarantined off Goa on vessels requisitioned by the government, can be worked out in a few days. "Like the government requisitions hotels to convert them into quarantine centres, ships also can be requisitioned where the returning seafarers can be quarantined before they are allowed to come back home," Capt Viegas said. Angria, the ship that used to do luxury travel trips between Mumbai and Goa, and another named 'Karnika' anchored near Bombay High were most suitable with a combined capacity of about 2000 cabins, he said. "In Piombino Italy around 300 Indians are in critical condition. In Santos Brazil, and Chivitavecia Rome some 200 Indians are in critical condition and can be evacuated as early as possible", said Dixon Vaz.If the government did not intervene now the seafarers will come on their own once the lockdown period is over and it will be difficult to monitor them, he said. GSAI has demanded a high-level committee with ofdicials of the PMO, shipping, External affairs, Aviation, Director-General shipping to monitor and act in this difficult situation.GSAI has suggested in their demand list that the Indian embassies around the world should have the list of Indian seafarers in their respective regions and the Indian government, Indian embassies and Cruise lines head offices should work in coordination.The Indian government needs to have a communication channel open 24x7 with cruise companies as some are ready to charter flights if permission is granted.Government and cruise companies need to co-coordinate so that all the history of health checks including COVID 19 tests are done and the reports of Quarantine days are sent along with the seafarers, it said.