The South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) has now decided to write to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to inspect the insulated vehicles used by the fish traders for transporting fish. The SGPDA has also decided to seek details of the wholesale fish traders and take an undertaking from them that they will abide by the guidelines to carry on with the fish trade post the formalin-in-fish row. The decisions were arrived at after an inspection carried out on Tuesday by an SGPDA team comprising members Lyndon Pereira, Tito Cardoz, SGPDA officials Paul Gomes, Venkat Raut Desai and member secretary Ashok Kumar at the wholesale fish market in Margao in the presence of a few fish traders. We have inspected the wholesale fish market. We raised our concern to make sure that the traders do not park their vehicles overnight and sell stale fish. We have also sought details of the wholesale fish traders operating from the state’s lone wholesale fish market of Fatorda-Margao, said Ashok Kumar after the inspection on Tuesday. A report on the Tuesday’s inspection will be presented to the SGPDA during its meeting on Wednesday and accordingly permission will be provided to the fish traders. We will brief the SGPDA on Wednesday during the SGPDA meeting, said Kumar. Criticising the SGPDA for the inspection carried out by the SGPDA team, the traders said that the authority was using delay tactics by engaging in such an exercise. They also claimed that the SGPDA did not have the expertise to undertake inspection of the insulated vehicles carrying fish. When media pointed out that the SGPDA lacked the expertise to check the insulated vehicles carrying fish, Kumar replied saying that the SGPDA will be writing to the FDA to undertake such inspections and also request it to submit a report to the SGPDA. He, however, failed to provide a satisfactory answer when asked why FDA officials were not called to inspect the fish-carrying insulated vehicles. We have assured the SGPDA that all the rules and guidelines will be followed while carrying on with the fish trade. We only wanted the SGPDA permission to carry on with the trade so that we can obtain the necessary trade licence and other licences. We showed them the insulated fish vans, which are used by the local fishermen. The interstate vehicles could not be brought here since the import of fish is currently banned in Goa, said a fish wholesaler Shaikh Zalil.