Shraddha Jadhav, who said she wasn't inaugurating any anti-malaria campaign by a private co, was practically squirming when we saw her there yesterday, inaugurating the function she had said was not on her schedule
Shraddha Jadhav, who said she wasn't inaugurating any anti-malaria campaign by a private co, was practically squirming when we saw her there yesterday, inaugurating the function she had said was not on her schedule
Perhaps, frugality with truth is considered a virtue in the higher offices of the BMC.
Not more than a day ago, Mayor Shraddha Jadhav had, in no uncertain terms, told MiD DAY that she had "no appointment" to inaugurate any anti-malaria campaign by a private company in collaboration with the BMC.
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So it was a little bewildering when, yesterday, she showed up at the venue of the event she had blatantly claimed she had no knowledge of.
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| (Clockwise from top) Mayor Shraddha Jadhav on the dais at the inauguration of the anti-malaria campaign; MiD DAY's report yesterday, where Jadhav had said she had no appointment for the event; around 300 school kids were present at the function |
Not only did she inaugurate the campaign 'HIT Kill Malaria' at Yashwantrao Chavan Natyamandir in Matunga, she also delivered what seemed like a well-rehearsed speech, expounding on the virtues of the campaign and its benefits to the society.
"This campaign will help educate people about the preventive measures one must take to curb it (malaria). We are happy that HIT brand has gone a step ahead with their commitment and embarked on this social campaign.
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We at BMC have been focussing on containing the fatal disease, and believe that it needs to be a continuous effort, and initiatives such as these help spread awareness," she said.
Perhaps the speech was impromptu - civic officials are known for articulate ad-libbing.
But to make sure we hadn't misunderstood her a day ago, we called her. She answered, "They (HIT company) came to pick me up at my residence for the event, and when they said there were around 300 school children waiting for me, I just could not deny and decided to attend the function." Of course, the mayor of Mumbai must have been helpless in such a dire situation.
This paper had expressed its bafflement ('
BMC dumps fight against malaria on private firm') at invites sent by HIT, which mentioned that Jadhav would inaugurate the campaign, though Jadhav maintained she had no such appointment.
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Civic officials had backed her, saying, "We do not know about this campaign and we are not sending anyone there."
We had also conveyed our concern at why the resource-rich BMC, the country's wealthiest corporation, needs the help of a private company to rid the city of mosquitoes.
Asked further if she had been aware of the function, she said, "Yes, I was aware of it." Which begged the question, why did she deny it just a day ago. To which she reiterated that there had been "no appointment", and hung up, not to answer any further calls.
Meanwhile, the campaign witnessed the participation of about 300 school children and several citizens. Kapil Dev Pillai, category head, household insecticides, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, said, "As a brand, HIT wants to go beyond and encourage people to take responsibility to spread awareness about this deadly disease and on precautions against it."
