BENGALURU: Providng relief to both avian and human beings, the National Green Tribunal has issued an interim order banning all types of manja (kite flying thread) including the deadly Chinese manja, till February. Only biodegradable fabric thread will be allowed for flying kites now. The next hearing on this issue is scheduled for February.
Till date, manja has caused the deaths of thousands of birds and also injured and caused deaths of people on the streets. The NGT order comes just a month before Makara Sankranti, a festival that attracts huge kite flying competitions and events all over the country.
The interim order, pronounced on Wednesday, bans the procurement, stocking, sale and use of manja made of nylon thread or other sharp material as well as synthetic or cotton thread coated with glass or other hazardous compounds.
It may be recalled that PeTA India had filed a petition before the NGT in August. Later, notices were issued to all state governments and ministries concerned seeking their opinions on the call for a national ban on manja.
Welcoming the order, PeTA’s Government Affairs Liaison Nikunj Sharma said, “This will ensure that kite flying will be an enjoyable and safe experience for everyone during Makara Sankranti as it requires flyers to switch over to plain cotton thread. Manja is a menace as it poses a life-threatening risk to both humans and birds and hinders essential services such as electricity.”
Except the uncoated cotton threads used in kite flying, all other sharp threads cause grievous injuries to humans and birds besides being non-biodegradable.
With the import and use of Chinese manja, which is either made from a sharp material or is coated with glass, metal or other sharp objects, a rise in the number of incidents of grievous injury have been reported from various parts of the country.
The lethal manja
The cheap, non-biodegradable Chinese manja causes the deaths of thousands of birds every year. After the Sankranti festival, one can find lumps of these threads everywhere, effectively entangling and killing innocent birds.
Instances of vultures, pigeons, owls, black kites, crows caught in the deadly mesh of threads and eventually becoming victims are reported day in and day out. Bird rescuers from Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad have reported around 300-2,000 birds dying annually during the festival season.
Apart from this, it has killed many riders and pedestrians in cities like Delhi, Chennai, Ghaziabad and other cities.
On August 15, three people including two three-year-olds were killed when their throats were slashed by this deadly manja. Between 2015-16, three people have died in separate incidents when manja slit their throats while they were on their bikes.
Power tripping
Further, manja has caused expensive blackouts and electrocuted many kite flyers. This year, Delhi power companies reported twice the number of power-tripping incidents on August 15 compared to last year, from 18 to 33.
Several top power companies including Reliance Power and Tata Power have time and again issued advisories urging people not to fly kites near electrical establishments. 13-year-old Mukesh sustained 95 per cent burns this year after his kite got stuck in a power line in Mumbai.
Although a few states had taken steps to either ban or restrict the use of manja, the use of this deadly thread has continued unabated, especially during Sankranti or Uttarayan festival all over the country.
Animal experts cite the need for awareness as well as strict ban to bring an end to this menace.