PANAJI
Claiming that fish sold in Goa is not laced with formalin or formaldehyde, Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala has admitted that State is not maintaining the data on quantity of fish imported into the State.
"The Government of Goa has reported that the data on quantity of fish imported into the State is not maintained by them and that the fish sold in Goa is not contaminated with formalin/formaldehyde", Rupala said in reply to the unstarred question raised by Rajya Sabha MP Luizinho Faleiro.
"It is reported (by the Goa government) that the Government of Goa has engaged the services of Quality Council of India (QCI) to carry out 24x7 checks on the checkpost at Pollem and Patradevi of all the fish-laden vehicles which enter the State", the Minister said.
Through the reply Rupala submitted to the House that there is 24x7 checking done by the concerned agencies for quality at the checkpost at Pollem and Patradevi of all fish-laden vehicles entering the State.
Minister Rupala also informed the House that the Government of Goa has informed that the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration Goa has its Food and Drugs testing Laboratory at Bambolim and is equipped with all high-end equipment/instruments for testing of all food articles. These equipments have been procured with assistance from Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
It is further reported that the QCI also has set up a laboratory at the wholesale fish market at Margao to check all the loaded vehicles entering the State markets and samples are also drawn at random by the concerned food safety officers of the Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration, Bambolim for testing.
The Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration also carries
out inspections of fish vendors as per the requirement of Schedule-IV of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, says the reply.
