Bhopal: Even Makar Sankranti is to be celebrated on Tuesday, the kite lovers dotted the skyline of the city of lakes with colourful kites of all shapes and sizes on the eve of the festival. A section of people on Monday celebrated the festival with gaiety and fervour in some parts of the city. The sale of kites was at its peak on as enthusiasts lined up for purchasing kites, ‘manjhas’ (thread) to celebrate the occasion. People indulges in an array of festive delicacies such as til ladoo , til-paati, and gajak.
A number of enthusiasts had gathered at Mandakini ground in Kolar and Kaliasot ground to celebrate the festival of kites. They are all geared up to turn up again on Tuesday for trying their hands at kite flying. The people are though conscious of ills of ‘Manja’ and opting for normal thread instead.
National Green Tribunal (NGT) has already imposed nationwide ban the use of glass-coated manja in 2016. Government has also imposed ban on Chinese Manja which is also now lethal. Even in MP, taking cognizance of a plea filed by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, the MP government imposed a ban on stocking and sale of glass-coated thread used in kite flying. Alokik Seva Samiti has been organizing Kite flying for last 21 years and it was 22nd years of the celebration. Vijay Shankar Dixit, president of Samiti said, “ A large number of people came with their families and joined the celebrations flying kites.” We did not allow any kind of manja this time and the kites were flown using normal thread, he added.