LABOURERS REACH GANJAM IN ODISHA FROM CHENNAI ON SEA ROUTE,ALL DETAINED BY POLICE

II ODISHABARTA II

BERHAMPUR: Despite COVID-19 lockdown, 38 labourers from Chennai reached Odisha by sea route. Sources said, they have purchased the boat at Rs 2 lakh.

The labourers, who arrived in Sonepur under Chikiti block of Ganjam district, were detained by the marine police.

Reports said these labourers had resorted to sea route to reach home as surface.

Speaking to reporter, Ganjam Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange informed that all of them will be compulsorily sent to quarantine centres and their swabs will also be sent for testing. “All the returnees will be taken to quarantine centre, where they will stay for 14 days. As a precautionary measure, their swab samples will be collected and tested for COVID-19,” said Kulange.

They had started the voyage from Chennai on April 20. They were prepared for a long journey on sea and therefore they had cooking accessories and other essentials to prepare food on the boat. The labourers belong to Patisunapur(27), Eksingi panchayat(3), Gopalpur(2) and six from Andhra Pradesh. Other three labourers belong to other areas.

All the labourers have been put under quarantine at Pati Sunapur high school in the presence of Sunapur marine police officer Gourang Charan Sahu, Chikiti Tehsildar Hara Prasad Bhoi, BDO Falguni Majhi, Sunapur sarpanch Manjula Behera and Executive officer Lokanath Pati.

Notably getting the prior intelligence input Berhampur SP,Pinak Mishra visited  on Friday afternoon the beach Patisunapur with his police team. Instructed marine police and nearby police officers to be more vigilant on any arrival of motor boat. On the same day he too inspected the Odisha-Andhra boarder check post at Balarampur and Girisola the boarder also visited the quarantine at NIST and Roland College.