Dear Editor,
Through the medium of your esteemed daily, I would like to request the Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Senior Superintendent of Police Jammu, IGP Jammu, Commissioner/Secretary to Govt Forest, Ecology and Environment Department, Principal Secretary to Govt, Animal/Sheep Husbandry and Fisheries Department, J&K and other concerned authorities for advising all District Administrations to issue stern orders for booking violators of blanket ban on sale and purchase of Chinese/ plastic kite-flying thread under Public Safety Act. It is to bring to the notice of all concerned that despite ban by High Court of Jammu & Kashmir in a PIL filed by ‘Save Animals Value Environment’ and blanket ban by National Green Tribunal on sale Purchase of Chinese Manjha(Gattoo) and other synthetic/Nylon thread, same are still purchased and sold by many shopkeepers in Jammu District. Many casualties are reported in various areas of Jammu during Raksha Bandhan due to kite-flying as people get stuck in dreaded Chinese string. But flouting the ban orders, some businessmen still sell deadly kite flying strings which later prove nightmarish for the people, and many casualties are reported from different parts of the Jammu after people got trapped in the Chinese string used for kite flying. Every year due to this deadly plastic tread, hundreds of people, animals and birds are injured due to kite strings in different parts of city and rural areas of Jammu. The entry of this banned thread into UT J&k via road and Railway cargo should strictly dealt with and hefty fines should be levied laws. Though police is on their job to enforce the ban on the sale of Chinese string but to evade the police eye traders hide the strings in the dickey of scooters, Scooties or back yard of their shops and deliver the customers on-demand by getting it from the hidden places. However, there is growing concern among the people that despite the ban on the sale and use of Chinese string it is available in the market and people purchase it easily, thereby putting lives of common masses to grave risk. We have already started our awareness drive on non-use of banned Chinese thread 2 weeks before Raksha Bandhan but still, open violation of law is being observed by shopkeepers of Pacca Danga, Nai Basti and Khadika Talab, as they have stored Chinese Manjha in their godowns and selling them secretly. The concerned authorities are requested to issue an order to book violators of orders of High Court of J&K, as well as NGT order under Public Safety Act (PSA), in the larger interest of humanity.
Rumpy Madaan (Chairman SAVE)
