MARGAO: As the fishing ban is in force, tonnes of fish entering from the neighbouring States into the Goan market by the Railways is going unchecked for formalin. There is no mechanism for quality checks on these fish consignments. This has raised serious questions; whether the fish Goans consume is formalin free or not.
Herald ground report revealed that fish parcels in large numbers are making way from the Gujarat and other States to Margao via railway without having any confirmed details whether these fish boxes have undergone quality check pertaining to use of dangerous formalin chemicals on it.
On the other hand, it has been also revealed that wholesale fish sell-ing activities are going on few metres away from the Wholesale Fish Market at Margao owned by the South Goa Planning and Develop-ment Authority (SGPDA) without any check for formalin, putting the life of thousands of fish lovers in risk. The SGPDA too, also expressed helplessness and hence have decided to bring this issue to the notice of District Collector.
Officials of Food and Drugs Administration at Margao have clearly stated that there is no check on the fish activities by some of the fish wholesalers outside the wholesale fish market, particularly fish activi-ties handled by the vendors from other States, but they do test on the fish that enter inside the complex of the Wholesale Fish Market.
Presently, as the fishing ban is in force, nearly 50 to 60 vehicles from outside States enter Margao with huge quantities of fish, and it is be-ing strictly checked by a team of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deployed at the Wholesale Fish Market.
It was shocking to reveal that Herald noticed several thermocol boxes containing fish that arrived at the Margao Railway Station on Friday. However, the railway officials informed that they lacked the mecha-nism to check the quality of fish, which is a perishable commodity.
These boxes are directly unloaded in the markets and later sold at the wholesale or retail, without any check for formalin.
It is pertinent to note, in these days during the period of fish ban in Goa nearly 50 to 60 vehicles; carrying fish from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, etc, enter the State of Goa by road. The huge quantity of fish later sold out at wholesale price at the wholesale fish market at Margao with strict checking by the FDA team.
Baban Ghatge, Chief Public Relation Officer, Konkan Railway at Mar-gao told Herald that there is no outgoing fish from Goa but fish being transported to Goa through Railways, is mostly from Gujarat, Kerala and Mumbai.
Booking of the fish containing boxes are accepted only when the norms are followed at the booking counter. Railways just act as a transporter, and we don’t have any testing facilities over here, he in-formed.
Praveen Naik, FDA official at the wholesale fish market told Herald that fish packed in thermocol boxes are not accepted at the market and they have not done any testing of such fish for formalin.
“We don’t have any instructions pertaining to checking the fish enter-ing by Railways,” he stated.
He requested the Herald to contact the senior officials of FDA for de-tails, wherein Jyoti Sardesai, Director, FDA failed to respond to the phone calls by Herald, despite continuous attempts.
As informed by Paul Gomes, SGPDA official, few and not traditional Goan fishermen are noticed selling fish outside the wholesale fish market, but having no jurisdiction beyond the market, they are unable to question them.
“The SGPDA has decided to bring this issue to the notice of South Goa District Collector, so that action is initiated immediately,” Gomes said.
