Following an appeal from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India to address bird and human deaths caused by manja, the Maharashtra Environment and Climate Change Department has issued a notification under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, requiring that “only a cotton thread, free from any sharp metal or glass or components or adhesives or thread strengthening material, shall be allowed, for kite flying”.
The prohibition on a glass-coated cotton string and other lethal manja was enacted to protect humans, birds, and other animals, as well as the environment. “There shall be a prohibition on the sale, production, storage, supply, and use of nylon, synthetic, or any other such thread coated with finely crushed glass, metal, or any other sharp objects, including threads commonly known as Chinese Manja or Chinese Dor, in the State of Maharashtra,” according to the notification.
The notification emphasises manja’s polluting nature as well as the harm it causes to human and animal life when used. It cites the power outages caused by sharp manja, which can affect up to 10,000 people from a single power line disruption.
Such threads are frequently consumed by cows and other animals, resulting in life-threatening conditions. The governments of Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, and Tripura have previously issued notifications with similar instructions.
“We applaud the Maharashtra government for addressing the dangers posed by kite strings reinforced with glass powder and metal, in addition to nylon manja. “This notification will go a long way towards protecting the environment and the lives of humans as well as birds, including endangered vultures, who are lacerated by the sharp string,” says Farhat Ul Ain, PETA India Advocacy Officer. “Most people would choose to use only plain cotton kite strings if they knew it would save the lives of fellow humans and other animals.”
Manja, in all of its forms, endangers humans, birds, other animals, and the environment. Every year, razor-sharp strings, often reinforced with glass powder and metal, cause human injuries and many unnecessary deaths. In Mumbai, an 8-year-old boy died after a manja slit his throat while he was enjoying the scenery from a car’s sunroof.
In Mumbai, despite wearing a balaclava, a helmet with a visor, and gloves, a motorcyclist was injured when a manja coated with powdered glass flew across his visor. A stray manja injured two police officers in Pune. A 5-year-old girl in Nagpur received 26 stitches in her throat after a kite string reinforced with adhesive and powdered glass left a deep gash in her neck. In Nagpur, a 7-year-old boy narrowly escaped serious neck and eye injuries after sticking his head out of the sunroof of his family’s car and becoming entangled in stray manja.
The hazardous thread is also wreaking havoc on bird populations. Manja frequently slashes or even cuts off the wings of birds. Their feet have also been severed by these strings, and injured birds frequently flee, making rescuers unable to help them. Many bleed slowly and painfully to death.
PETA India, whose motto includes the phrase “animals are not ours to abuse in any other way,” opposes speciesism, a human-centered worldview.
