The police department believes training the cops in gardening and landscaping will keep them preoccupied, which will in turn act as a great stress buster.
A day in the life of a cop is stressful to say the least. Add to that, a staff crunch, drivers caught speeding at midnight, and some of them slurring their words while vowing they aren’t drunk.
In an attempt to unburden some of this stress, the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) department has settled on a plan of action. About 60 men from its battalions will start training to be excellent gardeners!
From ornamental plants to medicinal, the cops will be trained to cultivate these as well as fruit trees in the premises, which, according to their department, will act as a major stress-buster.
Picture for representation only. Photo Credit: Twitter
The initiative has been taken up at the KSRP campuses in 15 districts, so that the police force remains engaged while not on duty. “The state horticulture department has come forward and is training our personnel in basic gardening and landscaping. Our campuses in all districts have vacant land which can be put to use. It will also serve as a pleasant way to keep them occupied,” Bhaskar Rao, Additional Director General of Police, KSRP, told Bangalore Mirror.
A 7-day gardening course at the Horticulture Training Centre in Lalbagh in early April already saw about 20 volunteers of the KSRP staff in Bengaluru putting their ‘green fingers’ to use. The constables have also begun preparing a 1-acre plot of land at the KSRP grounds in Madiwala, which has been marked for this purpose. This land will see a collection of plants and trees that will be cultivated by the volunteers in the future, although roses have already started blossoming here.
KR Lokesh, Head Constable, told Bangalore Mirror that the men were trained in re-potting, pruning, adding fertilizers, and other such activities, by the officials from the Horticulture Department. Not only that, they will also learn how to create rainwater recharging pits. With this green initiative, the selected vacant land plots will finally be utilised to their full extent.
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