The formalin in fish issue makes a comeback this year. The Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Girish Chodankar claims that his party had sent samples for laboratory testing in which mackerel was found to be having traces of formaldehyde. The formalin-in-fish appears to be now taking a political twist. Is the Congress trying to divert attention after it got a drubbing in the recent elections? Or is Girish trying to cover up his poll humiliation with the formalin issue?
If there are genuine concerns over fish, the Congress should have been raising the issue of fish testing and government’s unkept promises of facilities, persistently. Creating panic among Goans on this sensitive issue can have far reaching consequences and political parties should refrain from using this sensitive issue to further their interests. By creating an environment of uncertainty and screaming ‘formalin’, the Congress is only trying to instigate the people against the government.
Having said that, the government too cannot take the formalin issue lightly. Goans probably faced one of the worst scares last year when spot tests on fish by designated officer Iva Fernandes were found to be positive for formalin. A series of events unfolded since then and over a dozen promises were made, but the fish scenario continues to remain fishy.
With the State going through a fishing ban, imported fish consignments which dominate the markets remain the focus area. There must be full proof mechanisms in place to ensure that there are no further slip-ups. The market cannot wait from someone to trigger an alarm, just like the one raised by the Congress. A year later, the government is still found wanting. Random tests at State borders are the only checks for freshness of fish. There are no further checks by the FDA, leaving a vast scope for manipulation once the fish reaches the markets. Appeals for a spot testing facility at the wholesale fish market by traders themselves have fallen on deaf ears.
Leave aside spot tests, fish transportation trucks continue to park inside the market complex with their unsold stock. There is every possibility of formalin being used here to increase the shelf life of fish. For a brief period, trucks were not allowed to park inside, but like the several other systems, this too was short-lived.
People are not going to sympathise with the FDA because of its manpower crunch, it’s been there forever. There was one full year for the government to trouble-shoot and start on a clean slate. But sadly, the fish narrative resumes where it left last year.
What about the State-of-the-art food testing laboratory that was promised last year? Why was there no urgency to make it available at least during this season? This is where seriousness of the government should have been reflected in tackling the issue. Work on the lab should have been undertaken on a war footing to throw it open this monsoon. It’s a sorry state of affairs with the fish-loving Goemkar remaining insecure about his staple food.
