RAWALPINDI: Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Rai Mazhar has advised citizens to install steel wire on their motorcycle as a safety against kite strings.

The one side of the wire can be tied to the handle and the other to the carrier, crossing the rider in an arch shape, he said, adding in this way the kite string will not hit the rider.

“Kite flying is a life-threatening sport, therefore, people should avoid it,” Mr Mazhar said.

The CTO said the Punjab government had already imposed a ban on selling and flying of kites across the province and the police had been taking all possible measures to enforce the ban in the garrison city.

“Protecting the lives and property of citizens is the top priority of the police, therefore, any person found violating the ban on kite flying would be put behind bars,” he said. On the other hand, the police claimed to have launched a crackdown on kite sellers and flyers and arrested more than 400 people and recovered thousands of kites and string rolls.

Meanwhile, the Civil Lines police have registered an attempted murder case against unidentified people on the complaint of one of the three people who were injured after being hit by a kite string on Monday.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2021