Banned Kite Manja Kills One and Injures Many Birds
The banned Chinese manja kills one man and injures several birds in Mumbai.
The festival of Makar Sankranti has affected both human and animal lives. On Sunday night, engineer Girish Patare was on his bike going back home from work at MIDC-Seepz. Near Vile Parle [E], he suddenly noticed a manja string and he tried to dodge it. While doing so he lost balance. He fell and hit a car on the Western Express Highway. He died because of severe head injuries. He was married only a year ago. Many such cases of death due to manjas were reported in the country in the last 4 years.
Over the last 3 days, more than 70 birds have been admitted to the BSPCA Parel animal hospital because of manja injuries. Colonel Dr J C Khanna who runs the hospital said that, professional kite flyers tie bandages on their fingers to avoid injuries.
These deadly manjas are also called Chinese manjha. This manja is manufactured in Gurgaon, Bengaluru and Umbergaon. Maharashtra banned the sale of the Chinese manja in 2015.
This type of manja is coated with plastic and nylon and is very dangerous to use. There is a simple thread manja which children use and it is the safest.
