People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, which had filed a complaint about the illegal sale of banned material in these areas, said offences had been registered for the first time for violating the January 10, 2017 Gazette notification of Delhi government banning the sale, production, storage, supply, importation & use of all forms of manjha – a sharp kite-flying string laced with glass, metal or other sharp materials.
The notification permits flying kites only with a cotton thread free of any material designed to increase its sharpness or strength. “Most people will choose plain cotton strings if they know that doing so will spare fellow human beings, birds & other animals serious injuries & deaths,” said Nikunj Sharma, PETA associate director of policy. “Delhi Police is setting an example by protecting everybody from this dangerous manjha.”
Under the EPA Act, a violator can be jailed for up to five years & fined up to Rs 1 lakh, or both. The notification authorises officers of the rank of sub-inspector & above to take action against both sellers & buyers.
Last year, after receiving complaints from PETA India, Delhi Police only seized about 100 kilograms of manjha from the Lal Kuan kite market near Chandni Chowk & Chand Mohalla in east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar. Thousands of birds are killed every year when they’re cut or trapped by manjha during kite flying. In February, a motorcyclist died in Timarpur after his neck was slashed by a similar string. In July, a three-year-old girl died after a string cut the neck of her uncle, causing the motorcycle they were riding to crash.
