LAHORE, Feb 24: Ban on manufacture, trade and flying of kites will be relaxed throughout the country for 14 days from Saturday (today) in compliance with the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The city district government will formally lift the ban by issuing 1800 licences for manufacture and sale of kites under the provisions of the Punjab Deangerous Kiteflying Prohibition Ordinance on Saturday morning. The licences will be issued for 14 days and will become invalid on March 11.

District Officer (Environment) Tariq Zaman Khan, acting as Registration Officer under the Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Ordinance, received 318 applications for licences to manfucature and sell kites and thread on Thursday and another 1,482 on Friday.

District Coordination Officer Mian Muhammad Ijaz on Friday issued a circulr to the Capital City Police Officer, SSP, and all the town nazims and town municipal officers in the city district to ensure compliance with the restrictions pertaining to sale and use of glasspowder-coated and chemical twine and metal wire for flying kltes in the light of Supreme Court directions.

Asking them to constitute teams for regular monitoring of the manufacture and trading of kites and twine and kitefliers, the DCO informed them that the apex court had held them and the district nazim directly responsible for the enforcement of the restrictions on manufacture, trade and flying of kites.