Kite flying: illegal metal coated strings pose danger as yet another biker’s neck slashed on Kolkata flyover

Kite flying. A seemingly innocent fun filled sport that has been popular in the country for ages. This battle in the sky used to bring entire families of children, adults and grandparents’ bond together on terraces and fields – a fierce competition among neighbors and friends to see whose kite lasts longer. But then, the cities were not that congested either. Now, it appears that kite flying can become increasingly dangerous in cities.

On Sunday, Suresh Majumder, a 63 year old retired bank official, had a close shave as an alloy coated kite string slashed his neck while he was riding his two-wheeler along the Maa flyover in Kolkata. The strap of his helmet and the low speed of his two-wheeler – 40 km per hour – saved his life.

In April, another man is his 40s was thrown off balance by a kite string leading to serious injuries on the same flyover.

Last December, a 10-year-old girl was in the ICU and had to undergo surgery to heal the 6 inches deep wound she suffered when she popped her head out of the window of a car, and was injured by a kite string.

These incidents seem to be growing in the recent times, and all because of the use of nylon strings laced with glass and metal coated alloy strings to make the kite strings stronger than the ordinary ones. Turns out that they can be life-threatening too. Flyovers running close to the terraces of buildings pose a threat to the people riding on it.

The National Green Tribunal has imposed a total ban on the manja which is made of nylon or any synthetic material and is coated with substance which is not bio degradable. All states were directed to prohibit the manufacture, import, sale, purchase and use such material for kite flying. But people continue to flout the ban.

Not just in Kolkata, the dangers of kite flying using banned manja have affected people across the entire nation.

In 2016, two children died in Delhi – they were looking out through the sunroof of their cars when the strings slit their throats. In 2015, the southern city of Chennai banned kite flying with sharp strings after four deaths and 14 injuries over a period of three years. Though the ban was already in place, the new prohibitory order was imposed that attracted more charges including culpable homicide.

However, authorities say that the ban law is difficult to enforce as many kite enthusiasts make such strings at home illegally. Some die-hard kite flyers are reluctant to give up glass-coated strings because of their strength. It is also difficult to track down a person whose falling kite has injured or killed somebody.

[Photo representational]