Maneka slams club for championing "worthless" causes

MUMBAI, Jan 23: Dignitaries of the Lions Club of Green Mumbai turned red in the face this afternoon as noted environmentalist and Union M...

MUMBAI, Jan 23: Dignitaries of the Lions Club of Green Mumbai turned red in the face this afternoon as noted environmentalist and Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Maneka Gandhi, pooh-poohed the Club saying it should sponsor useful projects instead of spending money in the wrong areas.

Gandhi was in Mumbai to distribute anti-pollution masks sponsored by the Club to the city traffic police; she not only questioned the usefulness of the masks being distributed but asked the Lions’ to sponsor a research and development cell for Mumbai traffic police. And though the Lions preferred looking elsewhere, Gandhi’s half-an-hour impromptu speech was punctuated with frequent applause from traffic policemen in starched uniforms, who filled the Y B Chavan auditorium.

Knowing her audience, the Minister spoke in Hindi unlike other speakers before her who went on to read out written speeches in English. “These masks you are distributing here have failed everywhere in the world. In a city likeMumbai, they will be chocked with suspended polluting particles in half-an-hour and will be useless. The elastic band attached to these masks will give the user a severe headache. A handkerchief or a dupatta is better than these masks. Instead of spending on the masks which are not useful even one per cent, the Club should finance something like a R&D cell or well equipped gymnasiums for the traffic police in Mumbai,” said the Minister. The policemen responded immediately with laughter and applause.

Encouraged with the response, Gandhi went on to give a few health tips to the traffic police – especially those manning the traffic signals – on how to reduce the ill effects of air pollution they are subjected to. “Eat as much anti-oxidants as you can everyday. Eat tomatoes, cabbage and yellow fruits and make it a point to drink at least 12 glasses of water everyday – it flushes out of the kidneys the Sulpher Dioxide you inhale during the day,” she said. Most of the traffic policemen were seen taking downthe tips.