Announces to enforce the ban on kite flying at all costs
The Rawalpindi Kite-Flying Association has announced celebrating ‘Basant’, despite the district police has warned strict action against the violators and announced to enforce the ban on kite flying at all costs.
Following the announcement, the district police have intensified crackdown against kite sellers and flyers. Meanwhile, kite lovers are finalizing arrangements to celebrate ‘Basant’ from February 16-17, despite a ban imposed by the Punjab government. According to the association, ‘Basant’ night would be held on Thursday and ‘Basant’ would be celebrated on Friday.
With the announcement of ‘Basant’ by the association, kite lovers have started placing orders for spindles and kites in large numbers. Kites were being ordered from Peshawar, Abbottabad, Gujranwala and other cities.
The sellers and citizens bring kites and strings from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as there is no ban on kite flying in the province. The shopkeepers in Rawalpindi are also secretly selling kites and strings.
Usman Ali, a kite lover, said that ‘Basant’ is a festival and the ban was not the solution to any problem. The main problem was the use of string made of chemicals and metal, which was dangerous.
Ali said that the administration should ban the use of chemical and metal strings and violators should be sent to jail. No action should be taken against people using simple and breakable strings, the kite lover youth added.
According to Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi, there was no permission to fly kites or celebrate ‘Basant’ in the district. The DC said that strict action would be taken against the violators.
According to the press release issued by the CPO office on Wednesday, the City Police Officer had issued crackdown orders to all police stations across the district against those violating the rules.
He had also issued orders to take action against kite sellers and register cases against the ban violators. Following the orders, the district police claimed to have arrested at least 83 persons and recovered 18,020 kites and over 217 string rolls during the last 10 days.
Police teams were carrying out operations in Mohanpura, DhokeRatta, DhokeHasu, Pirwadhai, Railway Colony, Gangmandi, Bhabra Bazaar, NayaMohalla, College Road, Bani, Sadiqabad, Satellite Town, Chah Sultan, Tipu Road, AryaMohalla, Kartarpura, TenchBhatta, Peoples Colony, BakraMandi and other areas.
Moreover, awareness walks were also organized in Sadiqabad, Pirwadhai, RattaAmral and other areas in this regard. The district administration and police had also urged the citizens, especially parents, to discourage the hobby of kite flying among their children.
The citizens had been asked not to allow their children to violate kite flying ban imposed by the provincial government else strict action in accordance with the law would be taken and the ban violators would be sent behind the bars, he added.
He said, the kite flying ban violators were being dealt with an iron hand and no one would be allowed to violate the law and indulge in kite flying and selling. The use of metal string for kite flying results in the loss of human lives therefore, all-out effort was being made to stop kite flying, he added.
