Cuttack: In wake of number of mishaps last years, the district administration on Friday has banned flying of kites on rooftops in the city.
According to sources, the district administration has also banned the use and sale of glass-coated strings known as ‘Manja’, plastic and china strings for flying of kites in the town.
Talking to newsmen, Cuttack collector Nirmal Chandra Mishra, said, “Like last year, we have also banned the use and sale of glass-coated strings, plastic and china strings. We have decided to come down heavily on the trade and use of plastic manja string. A special squad would be formed soon to confiscate the killer string.”
“We have no objection if the denizens of town will fly the kite in open space and use normal string. People can fly kites on the riverbed or in open grounds. We will also create awareness over this,” Mishra added.
Sanjeev Arora, Cuttack DCP, said, “As per the guidelines of government of Odisha, there is a ban on use of plastic manja string. If anyone found using or trading the plastic manja string, necessary action will be taken against the persons.”
Also read: Glass-coated kite string (Manja) banned in Cuttack
Notably, a five-year old girl named Swetalina Behera was killed in January this year after her throat got slit by the sharp kite string.
The accident took place while she was riding pillion with her father. The string got entangled around her neck and she started screaming in pain. As her father stopped the bike, he found that the girl had sustained deep injuries on her throat and was bleeding profusely.
She was rushed to a nearby private hospital where doctors declared her brought dead. Her father also sustained injuries in the mishap.
A series of accidents caused by ‘manja’ thread used for kite flying have been reported in the city in the recent past, sources said.