Panaji, April 15 (IANS) Spouses and families of nearly a dozen seafarers staged a protest outside the Goa Chief Minister's official residence in Panaji, demanding that the state government make urgent efforts to repatriate more than 8,000 Goan sailors who are currently stranded in different ports-of-call across the world.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant late on Wednesday said that the central government was in the process of working out standard operating procedures (SOP) for the repatriation of the sailors.

Earlier, on Wednesday, families were subsequently detained by the Panaji police for violation of lockdown norms, even as Leader of Oppostion Digambar Kamat called their arrest "unfortunate".

"There are roughly 8,000 seafarers from Goa who are stranded. The number may go up to 10,000. The CM is not giving us any assurance on getting them back," Gina Pereira, a wife of a seafarer told reporters outside the Chief Minister's residence. Pereira said, that her husband is working with Symphony cruises and had been quarantined for more than 18 days already.

Pereira and other families of seafarers were later detained by the police and evicted from outside the Chief Minister's residence and taken to the Panaji police station. Reacting to their arrest, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said: "It is most unfortunate that the family members of seafarers at the Chief Minister's residence, including women are arrested. They are concerned about their loved ones and it is our duty to give them mental strength and courage during these testing times. Seafarers have contributed to the economy of Goa," Kamat said.

Goa's Civil Supplies Minister Govind Gaude said that striking outside the Chief Minister's residence during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was wrong.

"What will you get by going on strike like this. There is a procedure, which has to be followed. They (families of seafarers) are doing the wrong thing," Gaude said.

Chief Minister Sawant told reporters late on Wednesday that the SOPs for repatriation of sailors had been finalised by the Director, General Shipping, a central government body and had been sent to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for decision-making.

"According to the SOP which is being studied, seafarers stranded along the Indian coastline would be brought to their respective homeports by sea, followed by sailors who are stranded mid-sea. Those who have deboarded and are in foreign countries will be the last to be brought in," Sawant said, adding that the MHA would be finalising the SOP in two days.

--IANS maya/kr