Chinese Manjha to be Banned in the Capital

The government on Monday informed the Delhi High Court that it is in the process of issuing a notification to ban the use of “Chinese manjha” used for kite flying in the capital, informing to allow only cotton or natural fibre threads for kite flying which are free from any natellic or glass components.
“A draft notification imposing a complete ban on sale, production, storage, supply and use of nylon, plastic & Chinese manjha, and any other kite flying thread that is sharp or made sharp such as by being laced with the glass, metal or other sharp objects in Delhi… and allowing kite flying only with a cotton thread/natural fibre, free from any metallic/ glass components was prepared by the Environment Ministry of the Delhi government and vetted by the Delhi Government’s Law Department…,” said the government in its affidavit.
A PIL was filed by a Delhi resident Zulfikar Hussain, who had referred to instances of birds, animals and even human beings being seriously injured due to the glass-lined manjhas. The PIL, had also mentioned an incident last year where a man’s throat had been slit by manjha while he was riding a motorbike.
The court has asked the government to respond by August 15, which is traditionally the day when kite flying is done in the capital. Meanwhile, a group of kite sellers and manufacturers have filed an intervention application in the case, claiming that the manjha being sold in their shops was not “chinese manjha” but was made of “organic material”.