Days after appointing Richard Noronha as in charge of the Food Safety Administration for North and South district, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said he will consider re-appointing Iva Fernandes, who was at the centre of the formalin controversy, as South Goa designated officer of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA).
The statement came after Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao met Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and Rane on Wednesday with a request to re-appoint the lady officer to the position. Speaking to media persons after the meeting with Alemao, Rane said he will look into the request and see what can be done. “I will see what is to be done. Churchill has a right to make such request as she (Fernandes) is a voter from his constituency so I will take a call accordingly,” he said. 
“But one thing is certain whatever she had done was not done as per the law and the norms. The inquiry report is also there in the file,” the Minister added. 
Earlier, Alemao said that the Chief Minister had assured him that he would consider his request, hence he didn’t move a calling attention motion on the issue. He expressed confidence that the promise made to him will be fulfilled by the government.
In an order dated July 17, 2019, the government had appointed Noronha with immediate effect. Fernandes was the officer who had first claimed that there was evidence of formalin in fish brought to the State from outside, during an inspection conducted on June 12, 2018, which had created the entire controversy.