PIL might put a check on kite flying round the year

Memories and emotions related to festivals are very strong in India, and no restrictions on festivals are ever accepted,even if there’s a reason for them. A Gujarat High Court advocate has sought ban on flying kites except on January 14 and 15. Today the PIL will be taken up in the Gujarat High court. The petitioner Siddhrajsinh Chudasama has cited safety issues in his PIL.
Chudasama, an advocate of Gujarat HC says, “It’s important to spread awareness about the perils of kite-flying in the city.” He had petitioned in January this year after he read news of a threeyear-old being killed after being strangulated by manjhawhile riding on a bike with his father.“Like other festivals, even Uttarayan should be restricted to two days. There should be restriction on issuing of licenses so that people fly lesser number of kites causing. Kite flying round the year can be curbed with the help of local collectors and their notices to the public,” he says.
He has sought ban on selling of glass crushed and Chinese manjha to check injuries caused due to kite flying. The ban on selling of Chinese strings came into being in 2010 and since then there’s been a steep decline in its sale. Last year the High court banned flying of Chinese lantern citing them as unsafe. The state home department had issued a notice banning the use of the lantern till January 31,2015.
Advocate Jugal Dave who filed a PIL banning Chinese lantern on behalf of Mehsana resident Jivanbhai Rabari says, “Such bans will only be temporary until the government either puts a blanket ban on import and sale of lanterns and strings, or there’s a law made for the same.” Dave says the court directs the police and the directives are only for 60 days. “Currently there is no control and sellers store more than 60 days in advance.”Dave will file a PIL this year for a ban.
While there has been several bans related to Uttarayan in the past as one more comes along kite enthusiasts agree with the concerns cited in the PIL. Mehul Pathak,a kite enthusiast who has participated in kite festivals in a lot of countries says, “Flying kites with strings is banned in most countries and is completely restricted to kite festival days. This should be implemented in our country.”Pathak adds, “There should be conscious efforts to not fly kites during office and school hours and early morning when birds fly.” Installation of aluminum rod on two wheelers is an important step to prevent accidents due to entanglement of manjhas. Another kite enthusiast Paavan Solanki,who founded the Royal Kite Flyers Club in the city says, “In Singapore and Dubai, the governments allot open areas where the public can fly kites.The state government should open up Sabarmati Riverfront for the public to fly kites.” Solanki also says, “Those who break rules should be fined and that is how we can control this.”