तर्क-वितर्क

[Rajat Vynar]

City mayor and WB CM's shockers; Ambekar says H1N1 can be fought with trees, Mamata claims virus spread by mosquitoes.

Mayor Snehal Ambekar, fabled for her fondness for mangled facts, flights of linguistic fancy, non sequiturs, and the red beacon, added to her list of gaffes when she declared on Thursday that swine flu was a disease of the lungs and heart. The mayor made known her views on the respiratory ailment during a ceremony organised to mark the birth anniversary of Shivaji, in Dadar. Coincidentally, the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, made a similar statement on Thursday; she told reporters in Kolkata that swine flu was caused by mosquito bite. The virus is transmitted from pigs to humans and thereafter within the infected species.

Meanwhile, none of the gathered dignitaries in Dadar thought it prudent to notify Ambekar that there exists no empirical evidence to suggest swine flu induces cardiac trouble - it is caused by a family of viruses endemic to pigs, and produces influenza-like symptoms, including chills, muscle pain, sore throat and coughing.

Ambekar garlanded a statue of the Maratha king in Shivaji Park, after which she took questions from the assembled press corps. When asked about swine flu, she said, "It is a disease of the lung and heart. It was increased due to heat in the climate. Hence as our party chief's policy, we will plant more trees, develop gardens and parks to check swine flu. We have brought down cases of dengue; we will do the same with swine flu." Mumbai Mirror has reproduced her speech verbatim as it serves to illustrate Ambekar's penchant for imaginative conceptualisation

Last year, the mayor had termed the dengue epidemic that struck the city as media overstatement. "Dengue is an epidemic, but the media has blown it out of proportion. You (the media) are making it look like a very big problem, which is why I visited Rajawadi Hospital to see dengue patients," she had said. According to the state health department, Mumbai recorded the most dengue deaths of all districts in Maharashtra last year - five; 532 instances of dengue were reported in the city. She later charged that her remarks had been misconstrued.

One of her earliest dalliances with controversy had to do with Ambekar's insistence that her car be topped by a red beacon, which according to a government resolution, is a privilege denied to the mayor, who is only allowed use of an amber light.

"The mayor's statement about swine flu is unfortunate and irresponsible. It shows lack of knowledge on the subject," said Samajwadi Party corporator Rais Shaikh. "The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's response to H1N1 virus is lethargic they are not doing enough to create awareness on the issue."

Ambekar did not respond to calls and messages. (Courtesy: Mumbai Mirror)