Team Herald
CANACONA: Acting on a complaint by NGO “Goenkar”, the FDA officials raided two sweet mart shops at Chaudi, Canacona for allegedly packing municipal water for sale in pet bottles.
A resident of Chaudi, Canacona, after purchasing a 20-litre container of a reputed mineral water brand, found it leaking from the cap, when he checked for the genuineness of the water packed in the pet bottle, he found the container to be dubious and when confronted the seller, Suraj sweat mart, without any argument, he exchanged the container for a fresh one.
Not satisfied, he complained to the NGO “Goenkar” who in turn mailed a complaint to the FDA regarding the same and also alleged usage of news papers and tissue paper paste for thickening of Lassi served to the customers at all the sweet marts in the town.
Acting on the complaint by the NGO, a team comprising Shivdas Naik, Niranjan Naik, food safety officers, and Sainath Mandrekar a food sampling attendant of the FDA in presence of office bearers of “Goenkar” raided the residence and the shop of Suraj sweet mart located at Chaudi, Canacona on Thursday morning and later also raided another sweet mart in the town. According to the raiding team, samples of water, lassi and sweets were seized and sealed for further testing at the FDS laboratory in Bambolim.
The word of FDA raiding sweet mart shops spread like wild fire in the entire town on the social media.
and hundreds of concerned citizens gathered to know what action will be taken on the dealers who are playing with the health of Canconkars.
Sham Kenkre, a local, said, “As it is we are facing lot of issues of kidney failures and diabetes in the taluka and it is due to these outsiders who are playing with the health of locals. Now, we are suffering from diseases unknown earlier.”
Sandesh Talekar of “Goenkar” an NGO, who is in the forefront about the issues concerning Canacona, has collected a few samples and said Goenkar will do a parallel investigation on this allegations.
General Secretary of “Goenkar” Vikas Bhagat said whoever (is/are) playing with the health of Canconkars will not be tolerated and requested FDA to have regular inspections of these sweet marts.
Diogo D’Silva, president of Association of Businessmen of Canacona said that he had submitted a complaint to the deputy collectors office in 2012 regarding this issues but no action was initiated, he warned “if the authorities don’t act on the illegalities committed mostly by non Goan businessmen as their sole aim is profits at any cost, than the govt will be responsible for any law and order problem in the Taluka”
“Basically, we are peaceful people but if justice is not served than it will be difficult for us to remain peaceful” he cautioned.
This is the way we are being taken for a ride. We also fall for the cheap price.
