Police officers have also been asked to keep an eye out for electrical installations, due to the high conductivity level of glass-coated strings. (Express Photo)
With the kite flying season approaching, Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik has directed Deputy Commissioners of Police and Joint Commissioners of Police to implement the Delhi government order banning all forms of glass- or metal-coated manjha.
Personnel in the north district, where kite-related injuries and selling of banned ‘Chinese manjha’ are common, issued orders for “suitable measures to prevent danger to electrical installations, annoyance to public and danger to human life”. The North district police have constituted a team to patrol markets around old Delhi to check the sale of ‘Chinese manjha’.
“We have deputed our staff to these markets, and have also constituted a team headed by an ACP rank officer from the vigilance department to clamp down on sale of Chinese manjha,” said DCP (North) Nupur Prasad. The team, comprising 12 officers from the Vigilance department who were dressed in plain clothes, has been conducting raids since Monday.
In two separate operations, officers from the Central and Shahdara districts have raided four shops at Lal Kuan market in Chandni Chowk and Chand Mohalla in east Delhi. More than 100 kg of manjha has been confiscated. Apart from ‘Chinese manjha’, the district police have also banned use of Chinese lanterns along with balloon advertising, gliding and micro light flying, it is learnt.
‘Chinese manjha’ was banned after a spate of deaths and injuries to birds due to the use of the glass-coated string. A Delhi government notification had ordered “a complete ban on the sale, production, storage, supply and use of nylon, plastic and Chinese manjha and other kite flying thread that is made out of glass, metal or sharp objects”.
Police officers have also been asked to keep an eye out for electrical installations, due to the high conductivity level of glass-coated strings. The BSES issued an advisory urging people not to fly kites near electricity poles and overhead cables as metal-coated manjha may disrupt power supply and also lead to electrocution.