Noida and Ghaziabad administrations have put a blanket ban on Chinese-made kite strings, locally known as manjha. The ban came after at least three children died, and several others were injured as a result of the razor-sharp strings.
Henceforth, strings made up of only cotton and natural fibres will be allowed for flying kites. District administrations of both cities have promised strict action against anyone using or selling Chinese strings.
In a shocking incident in Ghaziabad, a stray kite string cut into a girl's throat so deeply that she needed to get 24 stitches. Thankfully, the girl was saved.
No such incident has been reported from Noida so far, but vets say that several birds have been killed as a result of these Chinese strings.
