Carelessly thrown cigarette butt caused fire at Vizag fishing harbour, 2 held

Visakhapatnam: The Vizag city police on Saturday arrested two persons in connection with the fire mishap at the Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour on November 19, in which 30 mechanised fishing boats were completely destroyed and 19 boats were partially gutted.

The arrested have been identified as Vasupalli Nani and his uncle Satyam alias Satti. Though the police detained more than 10 persons, including the fisherman-turned-YouTuber Nani, in connection with the case, the investigation revealed that only two persons were involved in the incident.

It may be recalled that the fire erupted in one of the boats harboured at a jetty around midnight on November 19, making the diesel engine explode. Soon, the fire spread to adjacent boats and the entire Visakhapatnam fishing harbour was engulfed in the blaze.

Accused drank liquor and prepared food on boat

Visakhapatnam police commissioner A Ravi Shankar said that Nani and Satyam consumed liquor in one of the boats and they also prepared some food (grilled fish) on it. One of them threw a cigarette butt carelessly onto a nearby boat, resulting in a major mishap.

The fire broke out in the boat and spread to adjacent boats within minutes. The heavy sea breeze intensified the flames and the nylon fishing nets added fuel, he added.

Rs 15 crores loss

The fisheries department has estimated the loss is around Rs 15 crore. Fortunately, no fishermen were present on the boats at that time which prevented casualties. But they lost their livelihood after their boats, nets, and fish were destroyed. The AP government is said to cover 80 per cent of the loss to every victim in the incident.

The fishing harbour in Vizag city is turning into a hub for parties and illegal activities. Apart from becoming a centre for people drinking alcohol and ganja, incidents of thefts are increasing in the harbour, especially during nights. The recent fire mishap that has led to the destruction of 49 boats was the result of a suspected drunken brawl at the fishing harbour.

Youth resorting to robbing people

The leaders of the fishermen's associations said that some youngsters aged below 20 years have been threatening people with small knives, demanding money and sometimes looting valuables such as smartwatches, phones, and a few others. The police apparently failed to control the crime in the fishing harbour locality, they added.

Regarding the security aspects, police chief Ravi Shankar said that they have been working with various departments to control illegal activities and ensure security at the fishing harbour.