Had to intervene as Goans stopped eating fish: Parrikar
Panaji, July 15 : Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday said he had to intervene in the ongoing controversy over the use of formalin in preserving fish, because people in the coastal state have stopped eating fish.
"Yesterday, I was kept quiet. But since fish is a staple food, I had to say that 'Don't worry, I am monitoring myself'. I think that was required, because people stopped eating fish. How can Goans live without fish?" Parrikar queried at a conference here.
After a raid on outstation fish consignments, Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) officials last week claimed that formaldehyde, a powerful disinfectant used to preserve corpses, was used to preserve fish.
The controversy snowballed after Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai tweeted that the fish was fit for consumption, following which the FDA in a statement said that the chemical was "within permissible limits".
Fish markets over the last few days wore a desolate look following the controversy.
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Remarks against St Francis Xavier: Right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar gets bail
Panaji (PTI): A court in Goa on Saturday granted bail to right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar, who was arrested after he allegedly made derogatory comments against St Francis Xavier.
Judicial Magistrate First Class, Vasco, granted regular bail to Khattar, currently admitted to Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim for treatment of chest pain after he was shifted from the District Hospital in Mapusa two days back.
A row erupted after a video of remarks by Khattar, the founder of Sanatan Mahasangh, at an event on April 18 in the presence of Swami Brahmeshanand, State Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and BJP MLAs Sankulp Amonkar and Daji (Krishna) Salkar, went viral.
St Francis Xavier is revered as the patron saint of Goa.
The controversial remarks led to the Vasco Police registering an FIR against Khattar on charges of hurting religious sentiments and creating enmity between groups.
He was detained in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, by local police. His custody was later handed over to the Goa Crime Branch, according to officials.
