Officials directed to crackdown on kite flying

LAHORE:  

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar sought a report from police officials over kite flying in the provincial capital and other districts in the province. He directed officials to implement laws prohibiting the activity.

Violators should be booked under the law and the injured must be provided with the best treatment, he emphasised. Meanwhile, taking notice of kite related injuries, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) B A Nasir directed officials concerned to ensure strict action against those who continue to indulge in flying kites.

He stated that the government has imposed a total ban on kites and related paraphernalia, including their selling and manufacturing. The CCPO also expressed his satisfaction over the operation conducted against kite flying on Sunday and urged parents to stop their children from indulging in the activity to avoid legal repercussions.

He said that police will crackdown against kite manufacturers while action will be taken against the area SHO. There can be no compromises while implementing the law, he said advising all DSPs and SHOs to utilise all the possible resources to combat kite flying in their respective regions.

Separately, a man was injured due to a kite string in North Cantonment on Monday. The victim was identified as Hasnain, a resident of Jorhay Pull. He was on a motorcycle when a kite string sliced his neck.

He sustained critical injuries and was admitted to a hospital nearby for treatment. Police said that they were investigating the matter further. This is not the first kite string related injury reported during the month of January. At least nine people have been injured during the current month.

In September 2018, a 30-year-old man died after his neck was sliced open by a kite string in Bhatti Gate. The victim was identified as Muhammad Faisal. He was on a motorcycle when the incident took place. He was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

Sometime in March 2018, three-year-old Mahrukh died after her neck was sliced open in a similar incident which injured her father and her brother. Such incidents are not confined to the provincial capital; they have been reported in several districts across the province. The numbers seem to climb higher every year, yet there is no effective policy in place to prevent such incidents from taking place.