The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday sought an action plan from the state government on its direction about steps to prevent the use of “Chinese manja” and strings coated with glass used for flying kites, as they are dangerous and cannot be allowed in public interest during the upcoming Uttarayan festival.
Chinese strings and other synthetic strings coated with glass are used for flying kites during Uttarayan, which is celebrated on January 14. The use of sharp strings results in casualties among people and birds. Petitioner Siddharajsinh Chudasama, through his lawyer Bhunesh Rupera, said that the high court had on January 13, 2017 given interim directions to the government to take all possible steps to prevent "manufacture, storage and use of nylon threads (Chinese manza) and any other synthetic threads coated with glass for the purpose of kite flying".
The court's directions were only on paper and were not being strictly implemented, the petitioner argued and cited an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on similar lines. The government pleader informed the court that a circular was issued in 2016 and districts were told to implement it. "Come out with an action plan for the entire state so that something is done," the division bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri said.
"Further such prohibition should be strictly enforced throughout the country to preserve the life of human beings, birds and animals. This is the direction issued by the Apex court. We want to know how they are implementing that," the court said. It called upon the state government to indicate what steps it has been taking to implement the order and posted the matter for further hearing on January 6.
In its interim 2017 order, the court had observed that "the use of nylon threads, called Chinese thread or Chinese manza, and other synthetic threads coated with glass and other such other harmful substances in the kite flying is dangerous and the same are not to be allowed in public interest". The court in the order had also directed the state government to prevent manufacture, storage and use of Chinese strings and other synthetic strings coated with glass for kite flying.
