RAWALPINDI: Kite flying is going on unchecked in different parts of the city and Cantonment areas despite the ban as a number of kites of different colours and sizes can be seen flying in various areas.
Every year, with the advent of spring, people from different areas celebrate the Basant festival, however, the concerned authorities had put a ban on it in a bid to save the lives of the citizens.
When asked, Umani Ali, a kite lover opined that while celebrating the event, one can enjoy it for some time. He admitted that despite the fact that it was banned, some people wanted to celebrate it for the sake of their happiness.
However, Majid who had witnessed an incident in which a minor child got injured due to a kite-flying string spoke totally in favour of the ban as it could save a number of lives.
He pointed out that strings made of glass wire or metal had claimed several precious lives and a number of incidents had taken place in different cities in the past when persons particularly while riding on bikes sustained fatal injuries.
Faisal, a citizen suggested that the Basant festival should be allowed to celebrate and the administration should allocate special places in a bid to save the lives of people.
A police spokesman said that Rawalpindi district police on the directives of the City Police Office had finalized all the arrangements to nab the violators of the ban.
He said that a complete ban was imposed on selling kites and other materials to discourage this practice and save precious lives.
He informed that several kite sellers were sent behind the bars during this month and thousands of kites and kite flying string rolls were recovered from their possession.
Basant was celebrated in different areas of the Rawalpindi Cantonment despite a ban on Thursday night and Friday, while police arrested 129 kite flyers and sellers and recovered thousands of kites and kite flying string rolls.
Police arrested 102 on Friday and 27 violators were rounded up on Thursday night during the crackdown.
Police had made it clear that kite flying was banned and strict action would be taken against the violators, but the enthusiasts celebrated the Basant night on Thursday and Friday without fearing the consequences.
The Rawalpindi Kite Flying Association said: “We have banned the use of metal strings and aerial firing during Basant. There is no justification to ban Basant anymore.” Kite sellers also sold kites on the black market and delivered kites to people in vehicles with tinted windows.
Basant festivity was seen in different areas, including Tench Bhatta, Peoples Colony, Dhok Syedan, Dhok Chirag Din, Dhok Chaudhary, Lal Kurti, Tariqabad, Rahimabad, Tahmaspabad, Gulistan Colony, Adara, Girja, Chauhar Harpal, Dhok Mastiq, Gawalmandi, Daryaabad and other areas.
In several areas, particularly in the old city, police faced great difficulty in arresting kite flyers. Rawalpindi police, on the directives of City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Khalid Mehmood Hamdani, continued a special crackdown against kite sellers and flyers.
The spokesman said all police stations of the cities had been directed to accelerate the ongoing operations against kite-flying ban violators while special teams under the supervision of senior police officers were also conducting raids in different areas.
Superintendent of Police, Potohar Muhammad Waqas Khan said that all available resources were being utilized to deal with kite flying.
The spokesman said strict vigilance would be maintained like in previous years to maintain law and order in the city and to curb the dangerous kite flying.
395
