TDCP says two-day Basant will be held in Punjab this year

Basant will be celebrated in Changa Manga forest park and Jallo park, Lahore.

LAHORE: The Tourism Development Corporation of the Punjab (TDCP) sent a summary to higher authorities stating that Basant will be celebrated for two days in February, 2014, Express News reported on Monday.

Basant is due to be held in Changa Manga forest park and Jallo park, Lahore.

Traditionally, Basant is held in the first week of February to herald the arrival of spring, but kite-flying has been banned since 2007.

On March 7, a 12-year old boy was killed and dozens of others were injured during Basant celebrations, which continued despite a government ban on kite-flying.

A Rescue 1122 official had said Faizan, a resident of Chitian Hatian, was flying a kite on a rooftop when he got a shock from a power cable and fell to the ground and succumbed to his injuries before reaching the hospital.

Overall, the police had registered 20 cases and seized hundreds of kites along with 50 rolls of chemical-coated kite string.