Differences in Goa government over ban on import of fish

Differences have emerged in the Goa government over the issue of ban on the import of fish for fear of formalin contamination.

Goa Forward Party (GFP) leader Vijai Sardesai is in favour of ban on the import, while BJP leader and health minister Vishwajit Rane has refused to impose it.

Sardesai, the agriculture minister, claimed Thursday that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, while admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi, had given his nod for imposing the ban.

"The decision was conveyed to officers but they have not executed it," Sardesai said.

"The controversy is over preservatives (like formalin) being added to fish, making the staple diet of Goans unsafe for consumption," he said.

To restore people's confidence in the quality of fish available in local markets, a ban on the import was needed, he said.

Health minister Rane, who held a review meeting on fish import with his department officials Thursday, however refused to impose a ban.

It was decided at the meeting that only insulated trucks would be allowed to bring in fish from outside as per a circular issued on August 4.