DK administration to turn to Instagram reels to fight drugs menace in district
Mangaluru: In a bid to spread awareness about the ill effects of drug usage, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Mullai Muhilan on Thursday instructed the Special Officer of the Department of Collegiate Education to take steps to create reels and short films by interested college students about the adverse effects of drug usage.
He was speaking while presiding over the district level committee meeting of the Narco-Coordination Center which was held at the hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
He further informed that the colleges in the city have already formed Drug Eradication Committees and also have appointed its members. Different types of programs should be organized including awareness rallies and others spreading the message of the ill effects of drugs. Devi Prasad, Special Officer of the Department of Collegiate Education, should take steps to ensure that the students are motivated to create a good script on drug eradication in colleges and produce short videos within one minute by the students themselves. The best reels and short films will be awarded on August 15, he added.
Meanwhile, Muhilan has also instructed Dr. Kishore Kumar Welfare Officer of the Health and Family Welfare Department to appoint counsellors identified at the district level for counseling the drug addicts in the district.
Speaking on the occasion, District Superintendent of Police Rishyant C.B instructed the Forest Department Officials to investigate and provide a report on the cultivation of Ganja near Belthangady. He also instructed the department officials to reward those who would be providing information pertaining to illegal cultivation of Ganja.
Law and Order Department DCP Anshu Kumar, Puttur DySP Dr. Gana P. Kumar, Joint Director of the Agriculture Department and others were present at the meeting.
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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.
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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.
