Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: In a major crackdown on unsafe food transportation, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) confiscated and destroyed around 1.3 tonnes of chicken meat that was allegedly smuggled into Goa from Karnataka in violation of health and hygiene regulations.
According to FDA officials, the poultry consignment was found in two vehicles with Karnataka registration plates during routine inspections at the State border. One tempo was carrying about 700 kg of chicken, while another vehicle was transporting roughly 610 kg. The combined value of the seized meat was estimated at ₹1.3 lakh.
The FDA stated that the meat was transported without complying with the mandatory standard operating procedures for hygienic storage and carriage. “The condition in which the poultry was being brought in would have made it unsafe for human consumption,” the agency said.
The enforcement drive, led by FDA Director Shweta Desai, was carried out by a team of officers including Sanjyot Kudalkar, Rajaram Patil, Shailesh Shenvi and Atul Desai. Nearly 25 vehicles carrying food items, mainly fish, were checked during the early morning operation before officials intercepted the two poultry-laden vehicles.
This is the second such case reported in recent weeks. In mid-August, FDA teams had intercepted vehicles illegally transporting around 1.7 tonnes of chicken and 500 kg of paneer from Karnataka through the Patradevi, Keri and Mollem check-posts, again for failing to meet prescribed health and hygiene norms.
