Successfully blocking a fringe group’s evil design to ban kite flying in Cuttack city, the civil society here on Wednesday gave a free hand to the district administration to take extreme measures against the trade in ‘killer’ synthetic manja string to make the kite flying safe and harmless.
Kite flying will now be restricted to only in open spaces, riverbeds and islets having no roads passing nearby. School and college teachers have been asked to sensitise the students not to fly kites on rooftops or in roads passing through busy localities and marketplaces.
“We have decided to come down heavily on the trade and use of plastic manja string used for kite flying and a special squad would be formed soon to confiscate the killer string after sensitising the people about it,” said district Collector NC Mishra after presiding over a deliberation participated by people from all walks of life.
The district administration’s move came three days after the tragic death of an innocent six-year-old girl, who apparently died after her throat silted by a snapped plastic manja string while she was travelling in a motorcycle with her father on the outskirts of the city on Sunday. The city has also witnessed several similar mishaps earlier.
Speakers at the meeting condemned the use of unsafe materials while observing the age-old traditions. The participants also pledged donations to the bereaved family of the minor child, and sources said an amount of Rs 25,000 was collected on the spot to be handed over to the victim’s father by the district administration.
Earlier in the day, a group of school students took out a march in the city towards the Purighat police station shouting slogans and holding banners in protest against kite flying. Similarly, some people with ulterior motives have been lobbying hard arguing for a complete ban on kite flying.