Srikakulam: 41 relief camps arranged for migrant fishermen

Srikakulam: The district administration has arranged 41 relief camps for those migrated fishermen, who stranded at Veeraval in Gujarat, arriving in buses to the district.

Over 4,068 fishermen of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Godavari districts and adjacent Odisha had been stranded at Veeraval due to lockdown.

The state government initiated steps to bring back the fishermen by spending Rs 3 crore for travelling and other expenses.

Of the total 4,068 migrated fishermen, 2,914 are belonging to Srikakulam, 11 from adjacent Odisha state.

For all these 2,925 fishermen of Srikakulam and Odisha, in total 41 relief camps were arranged at different places in 19 mandals across the district.

The fishermen are expected to reach Srikakulam by Friday late night. "After they arrived at district border at Pydibhimavarm, we will send them to their respective relief camps," said joint director (JD) for fisheries department V V Krishna Murthy to The Hans India. Medical teams will collect samples of fishermen at relief camps for Covid tests, he added.

"We will keep all these fishermen in relief camps for 14 days," the JD further explained. At some locations locals are opposing establishment of relief camps in the nearby residential areas. At Ponduru mandal centre, women opposed establishment of relief camp in the heart of the village.

In Palasa town also locals opposed relief camps at government schools where dense residential areas are located.

At Dolapeta near Rajam town also the residents opposed relief camp for migrated fishermen by expressing doubts over spread of Covid-19.