That fish procured from Andhra Pradesh is laced with formalin was rumoured since long. But despite having a medical doctor as Chief Minister for nearly seven years and despite his strident criticism that fish coming from outside the state, especially from Andhra Pradesh is ‘denatured’ meaning that it is depleted of nutrients, not much was done by his Government to address the problem. Former Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma made this prescient statement when his Government launched the Aquaculture Mission in 2012. At the time it was said that fish farmers would be assisted through the Mission to grow fish locally as there is a huge market for fish in Meghalaya. The demand for fish per annum is 30,000 metric tonnes (MT), whereas production is only 8,000 MT. Hence there is a shortfall of 22,000 MT of fish which is imported majorly from Andhra Pradesh. It is learnt that over Rs 440 crore leaches out from the State treasury annually for import of fish.
While Dr Mukul Sangma had cautioned people against consuming denatured fish and publicly confessed that he and his family consumed only local fish, he never spoke about the dangers of fish preserved with formalin. Hence the unsuspecting people of Meghalaya have for decades been consuming fish along with formalin, a chemical which is usually injected into human corpses to preserve their bodies from rapid deterioration. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) is part of the World Health Organization (WHO). Its major goal is to identify causes of cancer. IARC has concluded that formaldehyde (formalin) is “carcinogenic (can cause cancer) to humans” based on higher risks of nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia.
The State Government appoints Food Inspectors who are expected to regularly check the food quality and standards in restaurants and the quality of meat, fish and other consumables sold in the markets. Hence the response by Health Minister, AL Hek, that fish coming from Andhra Pradesh has not been tested yet since there have been no complaints from the public, is troubling. Ensuring the health safety of citizens is the onus of the state. It is incumbent on the present Government to give us a clear indication whether we should continue to consume fish imported from Andhra Pradesh. Obviously there will be pressure on the Government from the fish vendors who make a roaring business by selling Andhra fish. But are the livelihoods of the fish vendors more important than the health of the citizens. The Government has to take a call.