the goan I network
MARGAO
Demanding that the government should not play with the health of 14 lakh Goans, Goa State Congress President, Girish Chodankar on Saturday urged the government to carry out an assessment to clear doubts whether the high rate of cancer cases reported in Goa in recent times is linked to the use of formalin.
He also demanded that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) come out with statistics on the sudden spurt of sale in formalin in the pharmacies across the State.
Flanked by Congress leaders Mukul Panandikar, Franky Pires and Margao block president Gopal Naik, Chodankar said the time has come for the government headed by Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to do an assessment to find out whether the high rate of cancer cases reported in Goa is linked to formalin.
“Don’t allow any fish import inside Goa till FDA sets up infrastructure. The government should not play with the health of the people of Goa. FDA should check whether the sale of formalin has gone up in recent times,” he said.
Making an appeal to the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Fisheries Minister, Vinoda Paliencar not to protect the interests of the fish mafia and the politicians connected with the mafia, Girish said the tests conducted by the FDA be made
foolproof.
“When the FDA test at the wholesale fish market tested positive for formalin, the government was quick to say that spot tests are not final. Now, let the government explain to the people of Goa whether the spot tests conducted at Polem and Patradevi are final and foolproof,” he said, adding ‘if these tests are not final, is it safe for the people to consume the imported fish without the final report’.
He lamented that the government has neither banned the import of fish into the State nor has the FDA given information under the RTI on the formalin episode despite the fact that the health rules mandate issuance of RTI information with 48 hours.
Taking strong exception to the statement made by Health Minister Vishwajit Rane that the government is trying its best to carry out the formalin tests for want of adequate manpower, Chodankar said there cannot be any trying when it concerns about the health of 14 lakh Goans and another 20 lakh visitors. “You should either carry out foolproof tests or don’t allow the entry of fish into the State,” he added.
Reiterating his charge that the fish mafia is controlling the price in the wholesale fish market, Chodankar said that fish caught by local vessels should be sold in the local markets when the government is spending around Rs 8 crore as subsidy.
