GUILHERME ALMEIDA
MARGAO
Will the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) intervene to ensure that only safe, quality and formalin-free fish comes to Goa’s lone wholesale fish market, before the fish finds its way to the retail markets across the nook and corner of fish loving state?
A day after traces of formalin in fish imported in the wholesale fish market was spotted by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) triggered confusion and scare amongst fish loving Goans, nothing has been heard from the SGPDA administration nor its members, including TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai, Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, Ponda MLA Ravi Naik, PDA Chairperson Dr Renuka Da Silva, Margao Municipal Chairperson Babita Prabhudesai and others till date.
Apart from being a PDA member given his status as the MLA of Fatorda constituency, TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai has an added responsibility since the SGPDA, which owns the market, comes under his Town and Country Planning (TCP) department.
The formalin episode and SGDPA’s silence has thrown up a moot question “ whether the Planning and Development will shoulder its responsibility and ensure that fish coming into its market is safe and hygienic. This question assumes significance after The Goan called up SGPDA Member Secretary Ashok Kumar to find out whether the Planning body has initiated any steps to ensure that the wholesale market only receives fresh fish free from chemicals and pollutants and the official pushing the buck on the agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reign in on the violators.
“The PDA has no role to play in respect of reports that fish laced with formalin was detected in the wholesale fish market. The issue over the presence of chemicals, if any, falls within the domain of agencies such as the FDA,” Ashok Kumar said.
When it was further pointed out that the PDA is the owner of the wholesale fish market and cannot abdicate its responsibility to ensure only safe and hygienic fish comes into the market, Ashok Kumar said he would place the matter before the Authority meeting for discussion and also write to the FDA to keep a vigil on the entry of fish into the market.
Doubts are raised whether the SGPDA had at any point of time in recent years dashed off any letter to the FDA or the health to conduct routine checks at the wholesale fish market to ascertain the quality of fish coming in the market from across the borders. “Leave alone the question of the alleged presence of fish laced with formalin, there should be no room for even stale fish in the market. Let the authorities, including the PDA set up a mechanism in the wholesale fish market to check the quality of fish”, remarkd a citizen.
Goa’s lone wholesale fish market was earlier operating from the Margao Pick-up stand before the market was shifted at the dead of night to the SGPDA retail market exactly 17 years ago. Months later, the SGPDA set in motion to acquire land admeasuring 10,000 square meters at Madel to house the wholesale fish market as its presence in the PDA retail market threw up a host of problems, including sanitation.
