PANJIM: In a major development, the State government has shunted out Iva Fernandes, who was at the centre of the formalin controversy, from the post of Designated Officer in-charge of Food Safety Administration South Goa with immediate effect. She has been replaced by Richard Noronha, who will deal with the entire State.
Food Safety Commissioner J Ashok Kumar, in an order issued on July 17, appointed Richard Noronha as Designated Officer of North and South Goa.
Fernandes had found herself in the centre of the formalin controversy that erupted on July 12, 2018 when her team detected the presence of the chemical in fish brought into the wholesale market in South Goa. The report was later changed claiming the presence of formalin was within ‘permissible’ limits.
She had subsequently filed a complaint with Goa State Human Rights Commission in September last year alleging that she had been harassed and penalised by the department ever since the raid was conducted. However, the government had denied this.
Last month Congress in a letter to Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant had demanded that Fernandes be appointed as designated officer with full power at Margao wholesale market for testing fish to ensure that formalin is not used for fish preservation.
