CHANDIGARH: Besides brisk walking and yoga, Punjab’s police personnel are now shaking a leg to get rid of the excess fat in their body. Alarmed by a recent medical examination that found Punjab Armed Police (PAP) personnel to be suffering from obesity, hypertension, diabetes and so on, the department has added Bhangra, a popular Punjabi dance, to their daily drill, besides yoga, a controlled diet and other exercises. Of 14,500 personnel examined, at least 7,000 were found to be unfit.
The PAP department has charted out a programme which includes a diet chart for every officer. After an hour of yoga, the cops are taught Bhangra during morning exercises. The tutors are their own colleagues. They are also made to walk briskly for 45 minutes and cover a distance of 5 km.
Sources said, of the 7,000 unfit cops, 1,700 were obese, 1,600 had hypertension, 1,650 had liver ailments, 750 were diabetic, 562 had uric acid problems, 373 were diagnosed with Hepatitis B and C, 36 of them had kidney problems and some 22 were suffering from cancer. The other ailments found among the officers include brain tumour and tuberculosis.
Those suffering from diabetes have been provided counselling. While to tackle obesity, the cops are being put though rigorous physical training. Speaking to Express, the Additional Director General of Police of PAP, Sanjeev Kalra said, “We have started this programme of physical fitness so that they can be fully fit and perform their duties effectively. It will slowly become a daily affair as personnel from each battalion were called on rotation basis headed by a DSP level officer. These measures include an all-new exercise schedule and yoga classes.”
Kalra added that given their long hours of duty, the policemen were prone to such health issues.