the goan I network
PANAJI
Iva Fernandes, designated officer of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) maintains that the Schiff Reagent test (carried out under her at the Margao Wholesale Market on July 12) was recommended by the Food Analyst of the FDA with the full knowledge of the FDA Director Jyoti Sardesai, since the CIFT kit was not available with the FDA.
Fernandes has submitted an affidavit saying the same before the Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC), inwarded on December 26.
Further, she reiterates in the affidavit, that with the passage of time, formaldehyde trace may not be found in food as exposure of food in air for long time would naturally degrade the formaldehyde. Fernandes has also said that the FDA is admitting to a dereliction of duties when it claimed that it has been saddled with unnecessary expenses due to various teams being deployed at Goa’s borders to carry out checks.
“.... (this) is an exposition of the fact that the Department is seeking to believe that it functions within the four corners of its premises and that sending teams to the border is not part of the responsibilities and duties of the Department to check the very entry of adulterated food stuff, which is being sold surreptitiously,” reads Fernandes’ affidavit.
Fernandes has also claimed that the Director of the FDA has kept her out of administrative decisions and all meetings held by her with food safety enforcement staff from July 12 till date. She says this is not in keeping with the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, a designated officer’s duty is administrative in nature and is in-charge of Food Safety of the District.
According to this Act, Fernandes has said that the Commissioner of Food cannot allot duties of the lower post, nor could allot duties other than that of the functions of Designated Officer.
She also claims other forms of harassment to her like the denial of leave from September 10 to 12 under the Leave Travel Concession, though she had applied a month in advance. She states that she has suffered a loss of over Rs 34,000, and that this denial of leave was discriminatory because all other applications for LTC received by gazetted officers were cleared.
The GHRC is set to fix a date for the next hearing in the case in the coming week.
