Nylon manja worth Rs 8,000 seized; Pune's Kondhwa man booked

PUNE: A city crime branch unit V team booked a resident of Ashrafnagar in Kondhwa and seized 15 reels of banned nylon manja (kite string) worth Rs8,000 from his possession.
Crime branch senior inspector Ulhas Kadam told TOI, "We have registered a case under sections 336 (rash & negligent act endangering human life or personal safety of others) and 188 (disobedience) of the Indian Penal Code and under the Environmental Protection Act against the man and investigating the source from where he procured the banned material."
This is the second such police action since January 7. In the earlier incident the crime branch unit had seized nylon manja worth Rs2,000 from a stationary and general item store in the Khadki bazaar area.
Ahead of the Makar Sankranti festival which falls on January 14, when the kite flying activity is at its peak, the city police have started a special drive to check the manufacture, sale and use of nylon manja to curb the danger posed to human life as well as animals and birds.
Over the last one month, there have been several instances of the nylon manja claiming lives or seriously injuring two-wheeler riders in places like Daund in Pune district, Nashik and Aurangabad.
In July 2017, the National Green Tribunal had passed a ruling banning the manufacturing, sale and use of nylon manja considering its risk.