With Makar Sankranti knocking at the door, the skies are getting filled up with kites but the kite flying poses a big threat because the nylon manja or the Chinese manja is even though legally banned is not completely vanished from the selling counters of the city.
According to Dr Hemant Jain, a veterinary doctor of Dog and Cat clinic, “The nylon manjas are very dangerous for birds like eagles and owls, they often mistakenly eat it causing a damage to their stomach or by chemical toxicity leading to bone fractures, injuries and deaths”.
“For humans and animals, the Chinese manja can be as harmful as slashing their throat or neck if by chance it gets trapped in their body. It also causes several injuries in hands and other places infact slackening to bigger accidents”, he added.
The doctor further left a message saying, “One can no doubt enjoy the fervour of flying kites, during this season, but not by posing threat to the world. Instead of nylon manja, one can use normal threads, which is anytime safe for use”.
A shopkeeper from Buldi said, “The Chinese manja are ready-made threads used for flying kites, it becomes easier for children to lift the kite and also they are much stronger and heavier in weight as compared to regular threads. Thus it helps to cut the string of other kites. So, people prefer using it because it gives strength of withstanding the kite in the sky and the happiness of running”.
He further added, “In the wholesale markets Chinese manjas are sold at a low price levying a profitable business to the owners and because of its huge demand among kite runners, it gets easily sold. So, illegally many shopkeepers who are not ready to accept the danger of the Chinese manjas, are still selling it”.
Another shopkeeper from Anant Nagar area, while explaining the making of normal strings for the Indian sellers spoke on the concept of ‘Vocal for Local’ saying, “Instead of using Chinese manja, a person can make it at home, its time consuming but 100% safe. One has to use flour or rice and grounded pieces of smashed glasses for making the string stronger. Indian shoppers should try to sell the same thing in the market. It will be an Indian product and will contribute to the project of ‘vocal for local'”.
As per a Nagpur Municipal Corporation worker, it has been known that certain traders who were illegally selling the banned manjas were raided from a few areas from Nagpur and NMC is taking strong actions against it.
