Against the backdrop of intensified inspections to prevent sale of imported fish varieties injected with formalin for preservation, health and municipal authorities in Dimapur and Chumumedima on Thursday seized a total of 913 kgs of fish varieties from Dimapur’s fish warehouses/depots and Chumukedima area fish market.
Food Safety Officer (FSO) Sendongkaba Jamir informed that 213 kgs of fish were seized from various fish warehouses/depots of Dimapur while 700 kgs were voluntarily handed over by fish sellers in Chumumedima.
Addressing the media at the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC), Sendongkaba Jamir informed that an inspection team with himself and veterinary doctors from DMC carried out an inspection drive at the fish auction centre in Sematilla area, New Market and Imli Ghas junction, close to DABA at Duncan Basti. He said the team began inspection from 8.30 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. in the presence of some NGOs and civil society group members.
Out of the five places visited by the team in Dimapur, he said fish markets at Khermahal junction and Notun Basti were closed. Dr.Sendongkaba added that the samples were collected from warehouses and depots where fish were stored to be sold in the coming days.
In Chumukedima, FSO said fish sellers voluntarily collected 700 kgs of fish, which will be disposed off on Friday. The fishes were seized in the presence of EAC Chumukedima.
Meanwhile, Chief medical officer (CMO) Dr K Vikato K Kinimi, told Reporters that fish traders were alerted by recent news reports about the ongoing crackdown and so the team could not seize more samples for testing. He said as the mobile testing laboratory was in the town, reports of the tests could be obtained on the same day. He, however, clarified that local prawns had no traces of formalin.
Earlier, the inspection team started the drive around 8:30 am from the fish auction centre in Sematilla, from where 140 kg of five different breeds of pankaj, catla, rahu and pami were collected for tests, and the entire lot tested positive for formalin. The next spot was New Market where samples were collected. The samples from New Market were not from Andhra Pradesh or Howrah, but from Nagaon in Assam and Niuland area of Dimapur. The samples collected from New Market also tested positive for formalin.
The next spot where samples were collected was Imli Ghas junction, close to DABA in Duncan Basti, and 35 kg of fish samples collected were found laced with formalin.
EAC (Ssadar) Wiridin informed the media that the main fish supplier to the auction centre near the suburban centre stopped supply four days back. He said that 12,000 kgs of fish were sold throughout Nagaland from the auction centre every day.
Meanwhile, DMC administrator Moa Sangtam appealed to the department concerned that fish from storehouses should not be sold to people until they were certified for human consumption.
The CMO suggested that fish should be tested for presence of formalin at the source, that is, the State from where fish was imported.