Impressed with the way how 79 overweight and obese city police personnel have reduced their weight ranging between 1 kg and 10.4 kg following a nearly month-long fitness programme, Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Monday that he will write to heads of police units across the State to have such programmes to make police personnel slim and trim.
Speaking at the valedictory of the 29-day fitness programme organised for the city police personnel, Mr. Bommai said that the Karnataka State Reserve Police had taken an initiative where overweight personnel were asked to reduce their weight or loose an increment.
“Among the initiatives taken for the civil police so far, I feel this one-month-long programme is very successful,” he said and added that he wanted personnel from the ranks of police constable to the Director-General of Police to follow a healthy fitness routine.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Hariram Shankar said that 50 men weighing more than 90 kg and 29 women weighting more than 70 kg took part in the fitness programme which began on March 1.
The personnel started their day with a 90-minute yoga session taught by members of Patanjali Yoga Sikshana Trust at 6 a.m. Following a break for having juice, the personnel had a hour-long drill by trainers from the Reserve Police. The personnel then had two-hour-long training to lose weight, jumba dance and other fitness sessions conduced by personnel from Atomm Fitness Club. All these activities were held in the fitness centre of Father Muller’s Institution. Every day, the personnel had walking, jogging or hiking for about 10 km between 4.30 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Nine police personnel have shed their weight between one and three kilograms, 44 have reduced their weight between four and six kilograms, 18 have reduced between seven and nine kilograms and four personnel have reduced weight by more than nine kilograms. The highest of 10.4 kg was shed by Assistant Reserve Sub Inspector Bhanuprakash, he said.
Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar said that the one-month exercise has brought positive changes among the personnel. “Apart from making them fit and flexible, the personnel have been able to address some of their physical ailments and control their blood pressure and diabetes,” he said and added that the department has shown the way for the personnel to maintain a healthy lifestyle during their hectic work.
Marking the occasion, 78 teams of police personnel and their family members took part in a Rangoli competition. There was demonstration of Yoga, unarmed combat exercise and dance by the police personnel.
