Fishermen from Visakhapatnam district who were stranded at Veraval in Gujarat reached the city by special buses on Saturday.
They seemed very relieved after the three-day journey that sapped their energies.
They alighted the buses and walked with their baggage into the Srinivasa Kalyana Mandapam near the railway station.
District Collector V. Vinay Chand visited the kalyana mandapam in the evening and interacted with the 76 fishermen accommodated there.
Cooperate, says Collector
Mr. Vinay Chand assured the fishermen that all those who test negative for COVID-19 would be sent home and that those who test positive for isolation and treatment. He appealed to them to cooperate with the officials till then. He also directed the officials to ensure comfort of the fishermen.
The Collector said the government had sanctioned ₹4 crore to the stranded fishermen coming from various States to Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts.
“At Lankelapalem (on the outskirts of the city), we were given biscuits and water bottles. We have reached here half-an-hour ago and are having lunch now,” said Manmadh (32) of Bheemunipatnam at around 5 p.m.
“There are around 75 persons in each bus. We just had our lunch. We have been told that we would be sent home tomorrow (Sunday),” said Raju (19) of the Fishing Harbour area in the city.
Fishermen stranded at Veraval Port in Gujarat, who were brought to Visakhapatnam in separate buses, would be allowed to undergo home quarantine after subjecting them to the COVID-19 tests.
Joint Director of Fisheries K. Phaniprakash said that around 400 fishermen who arrived in the city had been kept at the kalyana mandapam, Ambedkar Bhavan and other places.
