Defending the decision of the State Government to put a ban on import of fish from outside the state, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday said the ban was enforced for the safety of the citizens.
However, the Chief Minister said the government will study the situation before deciding to lift the ban on the sale of imported fish in the state.
Speaking to reporters here, Sangma said “We will see, we will study the situation. The health department is looking into the entire matter.”
He assured that the government will try to resolve the matter at the earliest.
It may be mentioned that the state government on June 8 banned the sale of imported fresh fish coming from outside the state for a period of 15 days, after 30 samples of fish were tested positive for ‘formalin’ which is an unpermitted preservative.
Sangma said that any kind of action being taken by the district administration in regards to food is for the safety of the citizens. “We have to realise that the chemicals like formalin have been found in some of the fish that have been sold. Formalin is a chemical that is used to preserve dead bodies and is highly cancerous and very dangerous for human consumption. We understand the supply of fish and other materials and food items is necessary for the state but safety and security and health of citizens come as a priority to us.”
He said the state has also witnessed an increase in cancer cases. “Hence, as a step towards that all aspects of what could affect the health of the citizens is taken. There is a lot to be done but this is not being done for any other purpose to stop the supply or anything like that from outside. We are obviously concerned about it and we would like the supply to be normalised but it would not come at the cost and safety of the people or our citizens.”