Demand for ban on making of acrylic string gets shriller

The death of a teenager in Ajnala by an acrylic string used for flying kites has triggered calls for putting a ban on its manufacturing.

Gurdeep Singh, a resident of the Golden Avenue, said at least the government must prohibit its diversion from industrial use to making string for flying kites. Manufacturers and small-time shopkeepers are engaged in selling the string for earning a moolah in winter.

The string primarily used in making fishing nets, mosquito nets and certain kinds of fabric is being diverted to making spools of string for flying kites. Decades ago these spools used to arrive from the factories situated in the National Capital Region (NCR). Now several factories in the state are diverting the string for the purpose to increase their profits.

People into the manufacturing of the string, on anonymity, sought a complete prohibition on diversion of the string from other than textile purpose.

Gurpreet Singh, another vigilant citizen, said despite several campaigns by the police, including one on usage of drones to keep a tab on use of acrylic, its usage remained unabated. He said the state GST Department along with the police and the district administration must identify those factories which could divert their strong for non-industrial purpose. Strictness at the source could end the supply chain of the string. Otherwise, China ‘dor’ would become an emotive issue like drug menace which would become a strong poll issue but without any durable solution.