Anti-pollution masks given to cops

As many as 35 traffic cops in the city were provided with advanced scientific anti-pollution mask costing Rs 400 each.

Speaking after distributing masks at a programme organised by Anti-Pollution Drive (APD) Foundation, Minister for Health and Family Welfare U T Khader said that traffic police who work in sunlight to  manage traffic should be supplied with five litres of water daily. “It is 10% of police who help 90% of the public lead a peaceful life. Pollution has increased at an alarming rate in Bengaluru, Mysuru and Mangaluru. If we fail to check it, we will face big problem soon. All of us should strive to check pollution level,” he said. The Health department will extend support for the effective implementation of health schemes for policemen, he said.

City Police Commissioner M Chandra Sekhar said police personnel must focus on their health. “We work under lot of pressure and always tend to neglect the health. The police personnel who are on an emergency duties forget to go for medical check-ups.” To make policemen fit and stress-free, the City Police Commissionerate will encourage them to practice Yoga regularly. “We have plans to conduct Yoga training for police personnel. We have spoken to Yoga teachers to offer a week-long training programme and they have agreed to conduct training programme in batches. The schedule will be fixed shortly,” he said. 

Anti-Pollution Drive (APD) Foundation had conducted a pulmonary function test for Mangaluru City Traffic Police in association with pulmonologists of Yenepoya Medical College recently. As many as 115 traffic cops had undergone pulmonary function test conducted by the Foundation, which started in October 2015. It was conducted with a mission to work towards mitigating air pollution. 

APD Foundation Founder Abdullah A Rehman said the test results showed that traffic personnel have affected lungs due to pollution. “The results show 22.3% of the policemen, having five and less years of service showing signs of restrictive lungs. Meanwhile, 26.3% personnel policemen having more than five years of experience are showing restrictive lung capacity. The Yenepoya Medical College experts have concluded that there is a significant correlation in lung function and exposure to vehicular pollutants," he said.