Fish on way to Tripura seized in Hailakandi, 480 kg of stale fish destroyed

May 28: The Fisheries department has seized around 480 kg of stale fish in Hailakandi on Wednesday after a truck carrying fish varieties from Andhra Pradesh was on the way to Tripura. Fisheries Development Officer, Ajoy Chutia said the truck from Andhra Pradesh carrying 9,200 kg of fish in 230 cartons of 40 kg each stopped in Hailakandi and unloaded 12 cartons for a local fish trader Rajkumar Bhowmik.

On getting the information from local residents that a truck from Andhra Pradesh arrived here, officials of the fisheries department and district administration arrived at the spot with a police team and grilled the truck driver and the local fish trader. Chutia said on preliminary examination of some cartons it was found that some fish were rotten while some in a stale condition. It was not known whether the fish was laced with any chemical preservatives. The administration decided to destroy the 12 cartons unloaded from the truck. “We have destroyed 480 kg of fish brought in a truck coming from Andhra Pradesh” said Chutia.

The truck with the rest of the consignment was allowed to move with the authorities here informing the Director, Fisheries about the incident and to inform his counterpart about it. “An undertaking was taken from the truck driver that he would not stop or halt anywhere in Assam,” added Chutia. Investigation is under way as to how the vehicle crossed the border check-post before reaching the town.

Meanwhile, the fisheries department and food safety department officials are keeping an eye so that fish from outside the state cannot make its way to different markets in the district in the cover of the lockdown. The administration is procuring local fish of different varieties through a network of 12 wholesalers and 124’retailers and ensuring door-to-door delivery. Around 50,000 kg of fish were delivered at doorstep of the people.