At Least 80 Injured In Kite-Flying Accidents In Jaipur

Jaipur: Amid celebrations on the first day of Makar Sankranti, at least 80 people, mostly children, were on Thursday injured in kite-flying related accidents in Jaipur city, officials said.

Thirteen injured persons, including two women, were admitted to various wards including orthopaedic in the hospital and the rest were discharged after first aid, SMS Trauma Hospital Deputy Superintendent Jagdish Modi told PTI.

Thirty-one persons sustained injures after being entangled in kite strings while riding their vehicles, Mr Modi said.

There was no casualty and no one is in a very serious condition, he said.

Makar Sankranti is being celebrated for two days across the country with the state government declaring a holiday today.

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The Jaipur Collector has banned the use of Chinese manjha to protect birds in the pink and road mishaps due to string, and fixed a time for kite-flying in the district and also formed a ten team to contain sale of China-made strings up to January 31.

The collector fixed timing for kite-flying and directed a ten-member team to ensure that no kites are flown from 6 to 8 AM and 5 to 7 PM due to movement of birds during sunrise and sunset in the pink city and other rural areas.

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The collector also directed the team to strictly implement ban on sale of any imported or China-made strings, also known as 'manjha' or 'dor', as they cause injuries to flyers and two-wheeler riders.

Chinese manjha is said to be coated with glass or metal which adds to its sharpness and is used mainly for kite- fighting.

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Jaipur Rail Metro Corporation (JMRC) has also issued strict guideliness to people to avoid flying kites near metro stations as electricity passing through the high tension lines could cause accidents. North Western Railways also put advertisement for 'patang lootere' to not run on railway tracks to avoid mishaps by running trains.