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Spotlight back on Chinese manja ahead of Makar Sankranti in Pune
A seller at Tamboli General Stores, Shivaji Putta, Khadki, was booked by unit 4 of the Pune crime branch and bundles of Chinese manja were seized
With the festival of Makar Sankranti drawing near, the city police have stepped up vigil against the sale of Chinese nylon manja (sharpened string used to fly kites), the use of which has been banned by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2017 declaring it a threat to bird, animal and human life.
Following a tipoff, Adip Abdul Karim Tamboli, a seller at Tamboli General Stores, Shivaji Putta, Khadki, was booked by unit 4 of the Pune crime branch and bundles of Chinese manja were seized from him. The accused was booked under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, and section 5 (power to give directions) of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Whereas a spot inspection at Raviwar peth found all kite depots selling large quantities of cotton manja. A shopkeeper at Kazi Patang Depot said, “It will be very difficult to buy Chinese manja here. The people who buy it either get it online or from the suburbs, namely Pimpri-Chinchwad. For those who prefer buying it, I would advise them not to give it to children at all. There have been so many incidents of these strings getting entangled around children’s throats. There have been incidents of bird deaths too.”
However, the shopkeepers also said that cotton manja is not suitable for flying kites. “The Chinese strings are much better in terms of cutting kites during competitions. These cotton manjas are hard, but easier to break. However, they are safer and hence, more preferable,” said another shopkeeper at Bahar Paper Mart.
Meanwhile, authorities continue to be vigilant about the sale of these illegal strings ahead of the kite flying festival. Madhav Jagtap, head of the encroachment department, PMC, said, “All 15 ward offices in Pune will start taking action from Monday. They will check if Chinese manja is on sale in each of their jurisdictions. Whenever we conduct raids, we find out that there is no Chinese manja. However, sometimes citizens can help report it. They can report to us on the helpline number, and necessary punishment will be meted out depending on the quantity of Chinese manja sold. The license of that shop will be revoked.”
Earlier on Friday, joint CP Sandeep Karnik said that a notification in this regard will be issued by the special branch (SB) in the coming days. “The nylon manja has been banned and we have issued directions to all police stations to take action against those found selling it,” he said.
