Telangana district prison to set up open-air gym for inmates
Hyderabad: After providing them entertainment through FM radio facility, the Telangana Prisons Department is setting up an open-air gymnasium to promote physical health of inmates at Sangareddy District Jail.
In addition to initiatives launched to reform and rehabilitate the prisoners, the gymnasium, the first of its kind in the state, would also act as one of the useful programmes for physical fitness of those behind bars, a senior Prisons Department official said.
"Several municipalities in Telangana have started open gyms in public parks.
So we thought why can't we start in prisons?. The step is to motivate inmates towards physical exercise", Sangareddy District Jail Superintendent Nawab Shiva Kumar Goud told PTI over phone.
The jail houses 240 inmates --50 convicted and 190 remand prisoners -- and they already participate in yoga and physical training and parade activities.
Goud said the District Jail in Sangareddy is one of the model jails in India, constructed as per the model prison manual.
The open gym would be set up in one of the lawns and start functioning in the next 10 days, he said The inmates can utilise the gym facility in both morning and evening hours.
There is a plan to have at least 10 fitness equipments, 70 per cent of which would be procured through the manufacturing unit in Sangareddy District jail itself, the senior jail official said.
"We are reforming inmates through education, moral and physiological support and vocational training and the gym will help them in maintaining good health and physical fitness," Goud said, adding a jawan would guide the inmates in doing exercises.
Besides they would also arrange a professional trainer for initial training, he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
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.
ALSO READ: Chinese GPS tracker found on seagull near Karwar Coast
"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.
