Dehradun : Major Chitresh Bisht, who was killed while defusing a landmine along the LoC in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, was all set to get married next month

Major Bisht was leading a bomb disposal squad team for sanitisation when mines were detected on the track in Naushera sector on Saturday. The team defused one of the mines successfully but while neutralizing another mine, the device got activated and the officer suffered grievous injuries and died.

As the news of Major Bisht's martyrdom spread here on Saturday night, scores of relatives and acquaintances visited his house in Nehru Colony to express condolences with his parents.

Major Bisht's marriage had been finalised and he was to come home on February 28, sourced close to the family said. The wedding was due on March 7.

Major Bisht's father SS Bisht is a retired policeman and his mother a housewife. The family hails from Ranikhet in Almora district.

In a tweet, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said, "I salute the supreme sacrifice made by Major Bisht in the service of the nation and send my heartfelt condolences to the martyr's family. The entire country stands with them in this hour of grief."

Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya and former chief minister Harish Rawat have also condoled the death of Major Bisht.

Pradesh BJP President Ajay Bhatt and party MLAs Vinod Chamoli and Umesh Sharma Kau were among those who visited the house of the officer.

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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.

Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.

In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.

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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.

According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.

"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.

The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.