Police devise plan crackdown on Basant

2,000 personnel, drones to be deployed to go after violators.

RAWALPINDI:

The city police have devised a security plan to foil possible plans to celebrate the banned festival of Basant in February.

Starting from the eve of Basant, more than 2,000 police personnel will be deployed on large rooftops in densely populated areas for two days, where they will be equipped with binoculars as well as other resources to apprehend those violating the law by flying kites.

Drone cameras will also be used to track potential aerial firing and incorporation of chemical string in kites.

Police sources told The Express Tribune that just like last year, the Rawalpindi Kite Flying Association has announced two separate illegal Basant celebrations in the city and cantonment areas in the second and third week of February this year.

As a result, the police have finalised a security plan to put a stop to expected activities that may take place despite the clear-cut ban on Basant.

“Keeping in mind the need to protect citizens from any untoward incidents, more than 2,000 police officials will be deployed to thwart any plans for Basant and drone operators will be monitoring potential kite-flying,” said the sources.

Police officials have reiterated time and again that flying kites is a potentially dangerous sport that can lead to the loss of life, and those found disregarding its cost to human lives will be prosecuted according to law.

Parents, teachers, scholars and civil society will also be taken into confidence to play their role in preventing the celebration of Basant.

The Rawalpindi police intend to launch an awareness campaign about the hazards of the risky sport with the help of religious scholars, who will be asked to make announcements on their respective mosques’ sound systems about the demerits of kite-flying.

The police have also reportedly made arrangements for live monitoring of all densely populated areas, while all Station House Officers (SHOs) have been directed to ensure strict surveillance of kite sellers in their areas.

Sources added that police teams are trying to trace and arrest culprits involved in buying and selling killer strings and kites through social media.

Monitoring of courier services and passenger vehicles coming from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is also being tightened, so that any kites and chemical strings being brought to the city for Basant can be seized.

Read: "Colourless skies as ban on Basant continues"

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2022.