GA-FISH-SARDESAI

Goa will not bow to pressure from

anybody on the issue of testing fish for the presence of

formalin, state Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai said

Saturday.

He was reacting to a reported statement by a

Maharashtra politician allegedly threatening to stop vehicles

from Goa from entering Sindhudurg district if Goa does not

allow fish-carrying trucks from Maharashtra to enter.

In the wake of fears that fish being brought into the

state was laced with formalin, a potential cancer causing

chemical, Goa Food and Drugs Administration has imposed

stringent conditions, including testing, on fish trucks coming

from outside the state.

The Goa FDA has also made it mandatory for fish

traders to have a licence to import fish.

"We cannot be deterred by threats or pressure tactics

from anybody within or outside Goa. The people of Goa demand

the best quality of food and the state government has to

respect that," said Sardesai.

He praised the regulatory mechanism set in place by

the FDA to check fish-laden trucks entering the state and said

Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane, under whose ministry the

FDA operates, had taken a proactive decision in this regard.

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(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)