the goan I network
MARGAO
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s tweet that he is personally monitoring the fish formalin issue has thrown up a question or two: How would the Chief Minister monitor fish laced with formalin coming into the state when the main agency Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) was nowhere spotted in the Goa’s lone wholesale fish market?
In fact, even as Parrikar took to the Tweeter to speak his mind on the contentious issue which has created a scare amongst fish loving Goans, the FDA was conspicuous by its absence once again at the Wholesale fish market.
While over a dozen truck transporting fish arrived at the wholesale fish market from across the borders on Sunday, carrying variety of fish, FDA officials were not spotted anywhere around the market. In fact, when The Goan tried to contact FDA Director Jyoti Sardesai to find out whether FDA officials had visited the wholesale fish market on Sunday, she merely insisted that the FDA will keep the media updated on the issue. She was not ready to answer if the FDA would make its presence felt in the wholesale fish market on Monday.
In fact, the media had made its presence felt at the wholesale fish market before dawn anticipating the presence of FDA officials in the market against the backdrop of Chief Minister’s assurance that he is personally monitoring the situation.
The Goan understands that the FDA officials have not visited the wholesale fish market since Thursday, when a team had come down along with a chemist to take sample of fish to check the
presence of formalin. “We welcome the Chief Minister’s stand on the issue. His intention is clear that Goans should receive safe, quality and formalin-free fish. But, he cannot monitor the ground situation unless FDA official or health teams descend on the market and check the trucks transporting fish in the market,” remarked a citizen.
The FDA’s absence at the wholesale fish market assumes significance given that Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai had warned that the government will move in to ban import of fish in the wholesale fish market if tests conducted by the FDA and other agencies show that the fish is laced with formalin.
In the meantime, President of the Wholesale Fish Association M Ibrahim told the media that the Association has decided to get in the fish testing kits to check whether fish brought in the market is laced with formalin. We have taken a decision to turn back vehicles if it is found carrying fish laced with formalin, and it will be banned from entering the market,” Ibrahim said.
He pointed out that the wholesale fish agents will cooperate with the government agencies to ensure that only safe and quality fish comes into the wholesale fish market.
Wholesale fish agents pointed out that there’s still not turn around in the business hit by the formalin scare since last week. They said that demand from retail fish vendors for fish in the wholesale fish market has come down with scary Goans staying away from the fish market across the state.
