CANACONA
Over 10,000 mangoes and other fruits confiscated from the weekly Saturday bazaar were destroyed on Tuesday after tests conducted on these by FDA turned positive for calcium carbide used for ripening.
Incidentally, dozens of mangoes which were confiscated after alert locals caught a vendor mixing the fruit with dry powder, began to rot barely within three days when these were kept in the Canacona police station premises.
The mango vendor, Sureeh Fadrappa Udin, was caught red-handed by residents, who later handed him and the mangoes over to the police.
After FDA submitted its report, police registered an offence against Udin and investigation is underway.
FDA report on the samples conducted after 100 crates of mangoes were confiscated from various vendors at the weekly market and they also tested positive for the presence of calcium carbide, police said.
Sources informed The Goan that the entire consignment of mangoes was brought in one vehicle and various vendors were later seen selling them at the weekly bazaar.
Members of the NGO ‘Goenkar’, who were closely following the matter, were present when FDA officials in the presence of police, municipal officials took the huge consignment to the GTP at Dumane for destruction.
Trenches were excavated and over 10,000 mangoes were buried at the GTP.
FDA officials Abel Rodrigues, Priya Desai, a Canacona police team led by PSI Damodar Shirodkar, NGO Goenkar Jack Fernandes, Sandesh Telekar, Vallab Desai, Samrat Bhagat, Nandip Bhagat were some of the people present at the site.
