Team Herald
MARGAO: Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Girish Chodankar while urging the government not to play with the health of people demanded that import of fish from other States be banned till the authorities set in place proper mechanism to test the fish for formalin.
Speaking to media persons, he pointed out that Health Minister Vishwajit Rane had admitted that the Food and Drugs Administration does not have the required machinery to test the fish that is being imported.
“So why are you playing with the lives of the people as they are being given formalin laced fish since you cannot test it properly,” he said demanding that the import of fish be banned to give the government time to equip itself to test all the fish being imported.
He said that fish caught in Goa would be sufficient for Goan population and the government should stop export of fish from Goa and provide it to the local people. “The government cannot afford to play with the lives of Goans to help a few fish agents and their cronies,” he said.
Pointing out that around Rs 160 crore of Goan tax payers money was used to subsidise the fishing sector in Goa, he demanded that the Goan fish be provided to locals only.
Pointing out that there is an increase in cancer cases in Goa, he said the government should explain this increase and said it was because people were eating formalin laced fish as formalin is a known carcinogen.
Girish asserted that formalin continues to be used on fish and asked the government to provide statistics of formalin sale in the State for the last two months. “Increase in sale will indicate that the chemical is used for some other purpose,” he said.
He also alleged that the agents manipulate things to enable the vehicles from outside Goa enter the wholesale market first so that their fish is sold at a higher price while the fish brought by Goans that enter later are sold at a cheaper rate.
He also alleged that the laid down procedure and mechanisms are not followed while transporting the fish to Goa as the vehicles used to not have the stipulated insulation standards.
Girish also pointed out that the government till today has not been able to explain how there were two reports on the same day with the first report stating presence of formalin and the second stating it was within permissible limits.
“The government including Chief Minister has not explained this nor has any action been taken against the person responsible for giving the wrong report and hence people are confused,” he said while urging the Fisheries Minister to think of Goa first and not his party leader Vijai Sardessai.
He said that till the government sets up necessary infrastructure to test the fish coming into Goa at the border, the present practice of conducting a spot test be stopped. “The present testing is nothing but a farce as they say that it is not a confirmatory test which has to be done in the laboratory,” he said.
Meanwhile, former minister Mickey Pacheco also demanded that the ban on import of fish should continue for a longer period.
