Relatives of fishermen at sarpanch’s house. (Photo: Deepak Joshi)
Palghar police booked Sunday a Gujarat-based boat owner and his assistant and seized their boat after it arrived with over 100 fishermen from Maharashtra, who were stranded off the Gujarat coast, at Zai village in Talasari taluka for violating lockdown rules.
More than 2,000 fishermen from Maharashtra are stuck off the Gujarat coast near Veraval in 40 boats, unable to return.
Palghar SP Gaurav Singh acknowledged that a boat was seized and the 100-odd fishermen moved to a quarantine facility.
On Sunday evening, the boat arrived in Zai village. When they got information, the local Gholewad police immediately filed a case against the boat owner and seized the vessel. The boat owner, Karsan Vasram Bamaniya, who is from Gujarat, said, “I helped the fishermen as they were suffering but the police seized the boat and put me in quarantine in Zai school.”
Two fishermen unions of Zai village, Zai Macchimar Society and Zai Mangela Society, fear that the incident will unnecessarily create a rift between fishermen of the two states.
“Fishing is our only source of livelihood. We usually venture into the seas off Gujarat for a good catch. If fishermen from Gujarat don’t cooperate with us, it will create difficulties for us,” said Yogesh Macchi, chairman, Zai Macchimar Society.
Families of fishermen from Karaj Gaun, also in Talasari taluka, met sarpanch Louis Kakad and asked him when their family members will return.
Holiya Kailanger (53), whose husband Devala and two sons went to Veraval, are yet to return. She asked Kakad when she will see her sons again. She added her husband called her and “was very upset he couldn’t return though he was not very far away from home”. Kakad said, “I am trying my best to bring back the fishermen.”
Former CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “I’m going to speak to both the Gujarat and Maharashtra governments about the rescue of the fishermen.”
On April 4, the Gujarat government deboarded 600 fishermen from Gujarat and sent them to home quarantine, but didn’t allow Maharashtra fishermen to get down at Nargol.