String ban may be difficult to enforce

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has imposed a complete ban on glass and metal-coated kite threads and sought penal action against the violators, but implementing

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has imposed a complete ban on glass and metal-coated kite threads and sought penal action against the violators, but implementing the provision may be difficult.

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The notification issued by the environment department on Tuesday said violation would invite jail term of up to five years and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh.

Government officials said the onus of implementing the ban would be on the district administration.

There were two petitions to ban manja in Delhi, one in the Delhi high court and the other in the National Green Tribunal. The Delhi government had told both that they were in the process of banning the string.

The Delhi government had earlier banned Chinese crackers that are in high demand during Diwali but this did not stop traders from stocking them.

A few raids are conducted but that hasn’t proved to be an effective deterrent. Ban on the sale of acid has also not been fool-proof.

Traders in Lal Kuan’s kite market welcomed the move but they raised doubts about how well it will be implemented as the demand for the thread is very high.

“The ban is good news... It should have been banned three months ago,” said Mohammad Farukh, who owns a kite shop in Lal Kuan.