the goan I network
PANAJI
Goencho Avaaz on Wednesday slammed the government for its changing stands on the formalin-in-fish controversy, and demanded a judicial enquiry into the episode of July 12, saying that Goans were dissatisfied with the way the controversy had been handled by the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration as well as the Health Department.
Addressing the press in the capital, a whole group of concerned and worried citizens, and members of Goencho Avaaz, slammed the government’s protection of FDA director Jyoti Sardessai, as well as the bending of the FDA director to the whims of Maulana Ibrahim, head of the Margao Wholesale Fish Market Association.
Said president of Goencho Avaaz (retd) Captain Viriato Fernandes, “It is an open secret that Ibrahim met with the Union Minister Suresh Prabhu when he visited Goa raising suspicion as to who was the facilitator of the meeting. Such easy access and interaction between a dubious character and prominent political leaders must serve as eye openers for the people of Goa.”
Fernandes, while questioning the credibility of the FDA Director for bending the moment she received a call from Ibrahim on July 12, expressed shock that no action had been taken against her till date, while FDA designated officer Iva Fernandes had come under flak for exposing the truth.
Meanwhile, the group also said it was unacceptable on the part of the Health Department to say that common people who used the CIFT testing kits and revealed positive results were not to be believed because they were not qualified to use these kits.
“Why are these kits available over the counter if they are not supposed to be used by the common man?” questioned a member of Goencho Avaaz.
“Today the FDA says Schiff’s Reagent is not the correct test to check formaldehyde. Tomorrow they will say the CIFT kit is not the correct test either.
Action definitely needs
to be taken against the FDA director who in the first place allowed the Schiff’s Reagent test to be used, if it indeed were the incorrect test,” he said.
“It’s truly surprising that Goans have not come forward to demonstrate against the formalin-in-fish issue,” said another member Jose Maria Miranda.
The group also promised to fight for honest officers like Iva Fernandes till the truth prevailed.
