Be responsible and say no to use of killer kite strings

WHEN you fly kites on August 15 to celebrate Independence Day this year, remember that you have a responsibility to ensure that your celebration does not cut short someone’s life. I have always written about the rights of consumers, but this time, given the large number of deaths and injuries caused on account of kite strings around the country, I wish to remind the consumers that when it comes to buying and flying kites, they have a big responsibility — to ensure that their purchase does not endanger other human beings and birds. An order of the National Green Tribunal, dated July 11, 2017, clearly prohibits not just the manufacture, import, storage and sale, but also the purchase and use of nylon or synthetic string, or material coated with crushed glass, or any substance that is non-biodegradable. Only strings made of cotton, without any coating, are permitted.

It is now six years since the NGT directed all state governments and union territories to strictly implement the ban and punish the violators under provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, Wildlife (Protection) Act and the Indian Penal Code. While under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code, violation is punishable with imprisonment for six months or fine of Rs 1,000, or both, under Section 5/15 of the Environment (Protection) Act, infringement can attract imprisonment up to five years or fine of Rs 1 lakh, or both. Meanwhile, several high courts, in response to petitions filed by activists and families of those killed by these strings, have also ordered stringent action against the violators.

Yet, even today, these deadly strings continue to be sold and used, resulting in deaths and injuries every year to not just birds but also human beings. There have also been instances of users receiving burn injuries as a result of the string touching high-voltage power lines.

Even this year, during the kite-flying season in mid-January, there were horrific reports of deaths and injuries from many parts of the country. In Ludhiana, a four-year-old received as many as 100 stitches on his face, following deep cuts inflicted by the deadly string. The child apparently had put his head out of the car window to watch the kites flying in the sky. In Amritsar, a 28-year-old suffered deep cuts on his neck while riding a motorbike on his way to a bank. In Moga, a 10-year-old boy received severe burn injuries when his kite string came in contact with high-tension wires.

Around the same time, an 11-year-old died in Nagpur from a manjha cut on his throat while in Rajkot, a six-year-old boy met the same fate while travelling on a motorbike with his father. In Palghar district of Maharashtra, an eight-year-old boy became a victim of the deadly string while he was enjoying the scenery from the open sunroof of his father’s car. In Mancherial district of Telangana, the throat of a 39-year-old scootorist was slit by a glass-coated string. Such deaths shoot up around Independence Day. Three persons died in a span of 20 days around this time last year in Delhi alone. How can anyone flying a kite with these dangerous strings ever have a good night’s sleep, thinking about the deaths that they could have caused or may cause?

More recently, in March, a 36-year-old woman in North-East Delhi was injured while returning home from work on her scooter. Last fortnight, a seven-year-old girl riding on her father’s scooter on her way to a swimming class died when a kite string struck her neck.

After every such tragedy, there is a police crackdown on traders, the banned products are seized and the violators arrested, but these measures are not deterrent enough because the sale has not stopped, and nor have the deaths and injuries. One can find the banned products being sold online too. Only recently, the Delhi Police arrested three persons in connection with such sale and supply. What is required is consistent and continuous action and stringent, deterrent punishment.

Consumers also need to behave more responsibly and comply with the law. The police have started prosecuting those flying kites with prohibited strings. Following the death of the seven-year-old girl in Delhi, the police booked seven persons in West Delhi and recovered 200 kites and 33 rolls of manjha from them.

Make sure that you and your friends do not buy these killer strings. Let there be an end to injuries and deaths caused to people travelling on the road and birds in the sky.

— The writer is a consumer rights and safety expert