Haj pilgrims can carry Zamzam water within permissible baggage allowance: Air India
New Delhi: Air India on Tuesday stated that pilgrims returning from Saudi Arabia after Haj will be allowed to carry holy water from the Zamzam well within the permissible baggage allowance.
The well of Zamzam is located in Makkah in Saudi Arabia and many Haj pilgrims bring the holy water from the well for family and friends.
On July 4, the sales team of Air India's Jeddah office reportedly wrote to all travel agents stating that till September 15, due to change of aircraft and limitation of seats, Zamzam cans will not be allowed on flight Nos. AI966 (Jeddah-Hyderabad-Mumbai) and AI964 (Jeddah-Cochin).
Air India tweeted on Tuesday, "With reference to instructions regarding non carriage of Zamzam cans, on AI966 and AI964, we wish to clarify that passengers are allowed to carry Zamzam cans within their permissible baggage allowance."
"Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience caused," the airline added.
The webiste of the national carrier states that as per a notice issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, passengers will not be allowed to carry in their hand baggage liquids exceeding 100 ml, except medicines, inhalers accompanied by prescriptions and baby food.
"These items (in hand baggage) will be carried in one clear transparent re-sealable, one litre size plastic bag and will be subjected to the prescribed screening and security checks," the wesbite says.
There is no restriction on how much liquid can be carried in a check-in baggage.
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Bengaluru jail introduces biometric tracking system for prisoners
Bengaluru: In a bid to curb misconduct and illegal activities inside Parappana Agrahara Central Prison, prison authorities have introduced a new ‘Prisoners Tracking Movement System’ under which inmates will have to undergo biometric verification while entering every barrack.
According to jail officials, biometric systems have been installed across all major sections of the prison, including barracks, visitor rooms, hospital, canteen, kitchen, library, playground, handicraft units and bakery sections. Staff members have also been deployed at these locations.
Officials said inmates visiting the visitors’ room must now obtain a digital token after biometric verification. Details such as the prisoner’s name, identification number and entry time will be updated in the prison software system. This will help authorities maintain a complete digital record of inmates visiting and returning from meeting rooms.
Similar systems have also been introduced at entry points of the hospital, library and other barracks accessed for work-related purposes. Officials said the system will help identify prisoners involved in suspicious or illegal activities with other inmates and enable authorities to track how much time a prisoner spends at different locations inside the prison.
Authorities stated that AI-powered cameras were already being used inside the prison to monitor inmates as well as prison staff. Along with this, digital tracking of prisoner phone calls and a digital token system for visitor meetings have now been added to strengthen surveillance over inmate movement. Officials said the project has been implemented at a cost of around Rs 2.25 crore.
The prison department has also introduced a canteen usage tracking system to monitor prisoners’ spending patterns. Instead of direct cash payments, inmates can purchase bakery items and snacks using wallets or coupons issued within the prison system.
Officials said the digital system will record details including the buyer’s name, items purchased, quantity, date, time and remaining wallet balance. This will allow prison authorities to maintain complete expenditure records of inmates.
