Quarantine fee could impact job safety, seamen tell Goa deputy CM

QUEPEM: A group of over 70 seafarers from Quepem, accompanied by their wives, recently marched to deputy chief minister and Quepem MLA Chandrakant Kavalekar’s residence, demanding an immediate withdrawal of the fees imposed on seafarers for the 14-day quarantine.
They also demanded that ships bringing back stranded seamen be allowed to anchor directly at the Mormugao port or in Goan waters, without them being quarantined in Mumbai, which is a red zone.
Pointing out that seafarers in other states are not being charged such fees, one seafarer Jeff Goes told Kavalekar that the government must withdraw the quarantine fees as this would only add to the shipping companies’ burden.
“If these companies are made to pay for quarantining thousands of seafarers for 14 days, it will be majorly affect our job safety as companies will refrain from employing Goans,” a seafarer told Kavalekar.
They also said that many of them had obtained bank loans for construction of new houses and if shipping companies retrenched Goans, it would leave them jobless.
Kavalekar assured the group that he would discuss the issue with chief minister Pramod Sawant and get back to them.
Speaking to TOI, Kavalekar said that he would speak to Sawant on Monday. He said he would also bring up the topic of pension to seafarers which was recently stopped by the state government. “When I was the leader of the opposition, I had tabled a resolution in the legislative assembly to double the pension amount from Rs 2,500 to Rs 5,000. I will discuss both these important issues with the CM and I hope for the positive outcome,” Kavalekar said.