Fish business picks up in city

Staff Correspondent

Shillong, July 21: Fish business in Shillong city is seemingly returning to near normal after the random test carried on imported fishes showed no traces of formalin. The Sentinel visited the fish trading hubs in and around the city since yesterday and the regular consumers could be seen to be thronging the market. The fish vendors at Iewduh (bara-bazaar) are of the view that the business will pick up pace soon.

Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety DPS Thangkhiew said similar random test will be carried in the days to come and the fish merchants stated that they are ready to extend all possible cooperation to check any inflow of contaminated fish into the state.

However, a big question that has re-emerged in many circles pertains as to how many of those fish farmers who have availed government subsidies under the state aqua mission or the integrated blue mission have lived up to their objectives. The president of the Khasi Jantia Fish Wholesellars and Retailers Asscoation Mitchel Wankhar once stated (not long ago) at a press conference that those ponds are only for use of gambling in the form of fishing competitions where entry fee run into thousands and winners taking away lakhs of rupees.

The State Minister of Health and Family welfare, AL Hek did not differ during an interaction with The Sentinel. “This trend has to be rectified because our plan is for something else while most of the beneficiaries indulge in something else,” felt Hek.