PANAJI: The state government on Tuesday informed the high court of Bombay at Goa that a specialised kit was not used for testing if fish was laced with formalin at Margao market on July 12 which led to the alleged detection of the prohibited substance.The government said that once the samples were sent to the food and drugs administration ( FDA ) laboratory, no added formalin was found. “The analysis was a misnomer. Natural formalin is present in fish,” said government advocate, Pravin Phaldesai, adding that the media was responsible for creating an issue.Phaldessai said that the kit used for testing at the Margao wholesale fish market on July 12 was a general kit and not a specialised kit.The court is hearing pleas seeking inquiry in the formalin in fish controversy The high court has given the food and safety standards authority two weeks’ time to file its reply in the matter, stating that it is the main authority. Considering the importance of the issue and implications, the high court also issued directions to the FSSAI to depute a responsible officer to Goa for the matter.The high court inquired about the availability and price of the CIFT (central institute of fisheries technology) rapid testing kits and asked the FDA to set up stalls at a few fish markets and make these easily available for the public instead of only at one centralised agency so that they can test the fish if they have any doubts to “satisfy themselves”.Phaldesai told the court that the kits cost Rs 250 and comprise 25 strips for 25 tests which are presently available with an authorized agency at Ponda. He said the government could consider buying these and making them available for consumers to purchase at fish markets.The high court asked the FDA as to what was the difficulty in making them easily available and stated that the consumers could buy them and use them for themselves.

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