HC directs seizure of Chinese string

Chandigarh, Jan 20 (IANS) With recent incidents of people being killed or getting seriously injured after getting entangled with Chinese string (dor) being used for kite-flying, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Tuesday directed the Punjab and Haryana police chiefs to ensure that all stocks of the deadly string were seized.

The court also asked both states to file compliance affidavits by Jan 29.

The directors general of police in both states have been asked to direct all station house officers to conduct raids and seize the stocks of Chinese string from traders who may be found storing or selling such string.

Police and local authorities have been asked to make people aware in their respective areas about the dangers of using the Chinese string.

Lawyer H.C. Arora, who filed a public interest litigation before the court, stated that some people had died while others were seriously injured due to the Chinese string.

Arora pointed out that three accidents had taken place in Punjab in the past one week itself.

He said kite-flying activity will increase in both states during the Basant festival next month.

Haryana's Advocate General Baldev Mahajan told the court that the Haryana government had issued an order to all district magistrates, district police chiefs and police commissioners to issue orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, for prohibiting storage and sale of the Chinese string for a period three months.

Punjab's Advocate General Ashok Aggarwal told the court that the Punjab home department had extended the period of ban against storage and sale of the Chinese string for a period of six months from Jan 14.