Bombay High Court orders strict measures against use of nylon kite strings – India Today

The Mumbai Police has banned the use of nylon kite strings ahead of Makar Sankranti festival to prevent fatalities among people and birds. Now the Bombay High Court has ordered strict measures to be taken against the use of nylon kite strings.

The nylon threads can also harm the environment as they are non-biodegradable.

By Vidya : Ahead of the upcoming Makar Sankranti festival, the Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court has ordered strict measures to be taken to prevent the use and sale of nylon kite strings.

The high court has directed all the police authorities in its jurisdiction to publish the names of dedicated officers and their contact numbers to enable the public to notify them about the use of nylon manja.

The court, “We find that the Government of India will have to take effective steps considering Section 19 of the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, which empowers the court to take cognizance of the offences, or the complaints made by the Central government, or any authority or officers authorised on that behalf by that government. The central government, therefore, has the responsibility of authorising the officers to lodge such complaints/offences.”

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Section 19 of the Act talks about cognisance of offences and states that no court shall take cognizance of any offence under this Act except on a complaint made by the central government or any authority or officer authorised on this behalf by that government.

The bench of Justices RV Ghuge and SA Deshmukh was hearing a suo moto PIL of 2020 which came to be instituted after the death of a Nashik woman whose throat was accidentally slit by a dangling piece of kite string. At that time, a PIL seeking strict ban on the sale of nylon and glass-coated kite strings to save birds was combined in this suo moto case.

Advocate Satyajeet Bora who was appointed as amicus curiae, submitted before the bench that the National Green Tribunal has delivered orders mandating all states to prohibit manufacturing, selling, purchasing and use of nylon manja. He said the states have been initiating steps to implement such directions.

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Government pleader DR Kale said that on December 29, 2022, a circular was issued to all authorities across Maharashtra to ensure that the direction of the court is followed. Kale added that Maharashtra government is maintaining the tempo initiated to ensure that the nylon manja is not manufactured, sold, purchased and used in the state.

Various authorities said that they had undertaken sensitisation programmes asking people not to use nylon threads to fly kites.

Dr Kale also pointed out that certain dedicated police officers from the crime branch have been allocated the task of ensuring that the Nylon Manja is not sold/purchased/used. He said that helpline number 112 is dedicated to receiving complaints about the use of nylon manja.

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