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LAHORE, Feb 25: Many Kite-enthusiasts after Saturday mid-night were witnessed flouting the rules framed under the Punjab Kite-Flying Ordinance till sunset on Sunday.
They were freely using metal wire and banned twine besides spool (charkhi) for winding the razor-sharp thread, resorting to firing in the air and exploding fireworks in the absence
of official monitoring teams supposed to ensure safe Basant.
The activity was also at its peak in southern localities of the city like Wapda Town, PIA Colony and Valencia for the first time where drummers were hired by the revellers to add to the zeal of the festivity.
The activity also disrupted electricity supply to almost all city localities in varying degrees as the system suffered 650 minor and 25 major trippings mostly because of use of metal wire by kite-fliers, according to LesCo authorities. Suspension of power supply up to 15 minutes is called minor and for more than half-an-hour is termed major tripping.
The ban on firing in the air was also recklessly violated across the city. Revellers resorted to firing in the air for around five hours, intermittently, in Baghahtpura on Saturday night, while in Karim Park for around 45 minutes after 5pm on Sunday.
Rush of customers was witnessed throughout the day at eateries in Ichhra, Wahdat Road, Gowalmandi and Shah Noor Studio localities, besides fast food outlets on Jail Road, Garden, Iqbal and Faisal towns.
A record number of people from cities like Multan, Sialkot, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Sahiwal, Okara, Gujranwala, Faisalabad had also come to Lahore to join in the celebrations.
A number of enthusiasts were found complaining about shortage of quality kites and thread in the market.
Meanwhile, the city district government officials told this reporter that over 40 union council nazims, who are against the activity, refused to issue kite-flying permits to the aspirants as required under the rules.
However, they did not attempt to stop the activity in their respective jurisdictions.
PROTEST CALL: MMA president and Jamaat-i-Islami Amir Qazi Hussain Ahmad has given a protest day call for Monday (today) to `condemn the killing of innocent citizens in Basant-related accidents across the Punjab’.
In a statement on Sunday, Qazi said he was giving the call as a father because he understood the grief and sorrow of the parents and families whose dear one died because of killing kite-flying cord.
The MMA president held the rulers responsible for the deaths of innocent people, who, he said allowed the Basant in order to promote the so-called soft image of Pakistan despite the clear-cut ban imposed on the activity by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
