AVINASH TAVARES
POLEM: The imported fish that you may be buying in the market may not be all that clear as Herald found out during a surprise spot check between midnight and the early hours of Wednesday at Polem check post. The following is an account as Herald, accompanied by social activist Sanjeev Raiturkar and a team from another television media agency, sneaked in to check the truth behind the FDA cleared fish import into Goa.
The trucks from the Karnataka side of the border had arrived and were lined up at the Polem checkpost since late evening. One truck bearing the letters XXXX was allowed to pass through without inspection.
At around 11.45pm, the FDA officials arrived. The five FDA officials entered a small room next to the excise office at Polem. The room has a direct entrance from the service road that runs along the main highway. Initially, it was observed that the FDA officials would ask the driver of the truck to get the fish from inside the vehicle. This was done for two trucks. When the third truck was opened, Raiturkar and the media went up to them.
Raiturkar began to question the officials by asking why they were sending the truck driver or helper to get the fish and why the FDA officials were not entering themselves. The FDA officials, visibly nervous, claimed that they were going in, however, Raiturkar revealed that he had the recording how the fish was brought out from the truck.
It was not easy for the officials to enter the truck since the trucks were packed with plastic crates and there was no passage for the official to go to the end of the truck. Although upon Raiturkar’s insistence, the FDA directed the truck operators to remove the crates from the front so that they could get samples from inside. There were anywhere from 150 to 200 crates in each truck especially those coming from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The smaller pickup trucks that arrived from Karnataka had fewer crates.
Inside the room, things got even more interesting. When Herald entered the room, there was just one prawn in the testing trays. Raiturkar questioned the officials about the number of samples that were taken from each truck. The FDA official first stated that it is not possible to check samples from every crate but later stated that as per the instructions from the office, they have to test a sample size of the square root of the total fish in the truck plus one. Herald pointed out that in such a case, there are around 1000 fish in the truck and therefore at least 32 samples of fish must be taken from every truck. As this was being discussed, Herald observed that the other officers started bringing in around three to five fish samples from every truck. But even this was less than the prescribed sample size.
The FDA officials informed Herald that they are using the CIFT testing kit and were consuming around five boxes every day. Interestingly, FDA was using a single strip on multiple fishes, the instruction on the box does not give any indication that it can be used on multiple fish from a batch.
One of the trucks was filled with fish covered with crushed ice. The FDA staffer found it difficult to climb into the truck and walk on the ice since he was wearing sandals. He also had difficulties in removing the frozen fish from under the ice since he was wearing simple latex gloves. He removed only two fish samples from the truck which was grossly inadequate.
At around 2.00am, the number of trucks lined up at the checkpost increased to more than 30. Many drivers began complaining that they will not reach the SGPDA wholesale fish market on time. The FDA officers did not succumb to the pressure and instructed the trucks that if they do not want the test done, they should turn back and return.
Raiturkar stated that although the FDA officials are working hard, it was of no use since the FDA officials were taking samples from the top of the fish stack and not from underneath where the older and even rotten fish is kept. “They bring all the fish that is damaged and almost starting to rot but apply formalin and then they sell it to the hotels. Unless the FDA does a thorough check from all the crates inside each truck, the inspection is useless,” he said.
He also raised the issue of what happens after 4am when the duty of the FDA officials ends. “Who will test the fish once it enters Goa when FDA officials are not around?” he asked and said that the FDA officials have to also be present at the SGPDA wholesale fish market doing this test.
“FDA posts appear to be a deterrent for importers of formalin fish but after looking at the procedures of FDA, it is easy to evade detection. FDA has to have a larger workforce than the Excise Department. Only then will all this import of adulterated food stop,” Raiturkar said.
The team returned at 3.30am. On the way back, it was observed that many trucks were over speeding and overtaking goods trucks in a rush to reach the Margao wholesale marker on time.
