Panaji, Nov 3 (TOI): Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Friday said that he would not bow down before fish traders unless they comply with directives of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). My concern is “food safety”, the minister said when it was pointed out that the import of fish has come to a halt without there being any ban on import.

Rane said that the vehicles are not coming to Goa because traders have not registered with FDA and obtained a transporters license.

“There is no question of us giving up,” said Rane even as fish traders have been speaking out against the government’s stringent measures against those involved in import of fish without adhering to conditions imposed by the FDA since the controversy on formalin-in-fish broke out in July.

Rane also stated that he and town and country planning minister Vijai Sardesai are on same page with regards to measures adopted to ensure that formalin-laced fish doesn’t reach Goa’s markets.

Primarily, traders bringing in fish from outside the state are required to register with the FDA and obtain a transporter’s license. The condition came into force when the state government introduced a temporary ban on fish import, but it was only last week that its implementation in the real sense started, after the public health department issued a fresh directive.

Rane said that the government had given traders enough time to register with the FDA, but they did not. He said that the deadline was extended thrice (to allow them to register with the FDA). While none registered, the fish traders’ association had sought additional time to comply with the condition.

Since last week, police have disallowed entry to vehicles that came with fish from outside, and over the past two days, traders have stopped bringing in fish. Despite no fish coming from outside the State, surprisingly there has been no shortage of fish in Goa’s markets.