Cannot testify whether it's safe to eat fish from Mumbai: Jairam Ramesh

The Centre today said it is not able to vouch whether it is safe to eat fish in Mumbai after the August seven oil spill in Mumbai coast. However, he said there has been a substantial impact on fish population in and around the spill area.

The Centre on Tuesday said it is not able to vouch whether it is safe to eat fish in Mumbai after the August seven oil spill in Mumbai coast.

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"I cannot give a point-blank answer to a point-blank question that whether it is safe to eat fish. Of course, it is safe to eat fish in Mumbai as long as it is not caught from the polluted area," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

He was asked by Bharatkumar Raut (Shiv Sena) whether it was safe to eat fish in Mumbai on Tuesday.

"Should fishermen sell the fish or not? When I go to the market, there are rumours. What do I do?", Raut asked.

To this, Ramesh said he was not a fish-eater.

"I would not be able to testify to the safety of the fish that is being caught."

He said there has been a substantial impact on fish population in and around the area.

"The fish population in many parts has been decimated; it has been damaged."

However, fish has now started coming into Mumbai from other parts of the country, like Andhra Pradesh, he said.