The Congress alleged on Sunday that formalin-laced fish continues to be sold in Goa’s fish markets, and accused the State government of not doing enough to regulate the use of the dangerous preservative.
The Congress’s allegation comes nearly a year after the coastal tourist State was rocked by fears of rampant use of formalin in fish brought into the State from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh during the monsoon fishing ban. The Goa Food and Drugs Administration had detected the use of the preservative in a raid at a South Goa fish market in July last year.
On Sunday, Goa Congress president Girish Chodankar said at a press conference, “We have examined mackerels, a staple fish for thousands of Goans, from the Margao fish market. A laboratory test revealed 2 ppm (parts per million) of formalin in the fish, which means formalin-laced fish is still being sold in Goa.”
“The government has failed to set up mechanisms to ensure sale of fish that is safe for human consumption,” he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government was forced on the back foot after some of its ministers were accused of protecting fish traders who were importing formalin-laced fish consignments into Goa from the southern States. After the controversy, the government banned the import of fish from neighbouring States until fish traders registered with the FDA and complied with its storage and transportation norms.