Monday, 24 July 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Despite the ban on the purchase of Chinese Manja, the sale of the glass coated kite string has continued unabated in the city markets. Recently in Delhi, a seven-year-old girl died after the said kite string slit her neck. Cases of deaths caused by such kite strings have been reported from across the country in addition to death and injury caused to birds, said the founder of the Social Development for Communities (SDC) foundation Anoop Nautiyal.
Commenting on the sale of the banned item kite seller Goldie Nagpal said, “We have to keep Chinese Manja due to customer demand. People demand it as it’s durable and cheaper than the normal string. Due to the continued demand for Chinese Manja, I make sure that it is available at my shop for the customers.”Another kite seller said that the glass coated kite string may be banned in the State but it is demanded consistently by the customers. It is also cheaper than the normal Manja.
Nautiyal told this correspondent, “The Chinese Manja is deadly not only for the people but also for the birds. The State government has banned the Chinese Manja on paper, not at the ground level. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure the proper implementation of such restrictions. Apart from this, I would suggest that the government agencies should organise some awareness programme regarding the ill-effects of the Chinese Manja.”
