Ban on fish sale in Patna after reports of excessive formalin

PATNA: Alarmed over presence of formalin, a cancer causing chemical in fish, the Bihar government on Monday banned sale, transportation and storage of fish for 15 days in Patna Municipal corporation area with immediate effect. It also requested the West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh governments to ensure there was no movement of fish from their states to Bihar by road or railways. Sanjay Kumar, principal secretary of health department issued a notification under section 59 of the Food Safety Act putting ban on fish till 29 January. Violation of the ban order would invite 7 years imprisonment and fine of Rs 10 lakh. The ban orders have been issued after reports confirmed presence of toxic chemical formalin in sample. Kochi-based Central Institute of Fisheries Technology and Kolkata-based Food Technology Laboratory have found presence of formalin on the fish being sold in Bihar. Samples of fish were collected from ten different markets in Patna and sent to these laboratories. Bihar requires about seven lakh metric tonnes of fish annually, but 5.87 lakh metric tonnes is available in rivers and ponds of Bihar. In Patna, 2200 metric tonnes is sold in the 50 different fish markets at Bazar Samiti, Mahendru, Raja Bazar, Boring Road, Rajendranagar and Gulzarbagh daily. West Bengal sends 1200 metric tonnes daily and Andhra Pradesh 500 metric tonnes to Patna markets.