RAWALPINDI: Though the Punjab government has imposed a ban on Basant, residents of Rawalpindi have started preparing for the festival as sale of kites and strings is going on unchecked. The city sky was dotted with kites on Saturday.

Police, however, claimed to have launched a drive against the business and arrested scores of sellers of kites and strings.

Kite flying has exposed the claim of the local administration and the police that they have stopped the sale and purchase of kites and strings in the city.

In the downtown area, the Basant date has been fixed as Feb 20 and 21 which has been shared on social media by kite sellers.

“Kite flying lovers knew the sale points of kite and strings,” said Mohammad Sharjeel, a resident of Sarafa Bazaar.

Sale of kites, string goes on unchecked

He said the residents wanted to celebrate Basant in the first week of March and had started flying kites.

“Shopkeepers do not openly sell kites and strings but mostly people set up their stalls in their houses and inside shops,” said Nisar Malik, a resident of Naya Mohallah.

“Despite the ban, the sellers brought kites and strings from Lahore as in the city there are less kite and string makers. The price of the kite and string increased as the sellers claimed that they brought it from Lahore and Gujranwala. A kite is available for Rs60 to Rs70 and a 100-metre string for Rs1,000,” he said.

Tajamal Raja of Mohanpura said mostly people brought kites from Raja bazaar and adjoining areas and sold them to their neighbours and friends.

Meanwhile, three government hospitals in the city have made arrangements to deal with emergency cases of chemical string cuts.

However, there are many people who opposed the ban on kite flying.

Shujaat Haider, a resident of Sarafa Bazaar, said Basant was a recreational activity for children.

“There is no sports activity for children and youngsters in the absence of parks and playgrounds in the downtown. A ban should be imposed on firing in the air and display of arms and ammunition,” he said.

He said a mechanism should be devised to check THE sale of chemical coated strings. Because of the ban on Basant, the rates of kites and strings have increased, he added.

On the other hand, police have intensified crackdown on kite sellers and flyers across the district.

“Scores of kite dealers and flyers have been arrested while police also recovered thousands of kites and twines from their possession. Separate cases were registered against them,” the police said in a press release.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2020