Pindi police arrest over 450 violators, confiscate 21,000 kites

RAWALPINDI: The police have arrested over 450 people, including kite-flyers and kite sellers, through CCTVs and drones surveillance, while they also have registered 99 FIRs against the violations of the ban on kite flying during the celebrations of ‘Basant’ on Friday.

The local administration has continuously been taking action against the kite-flyers till the filing of this report, while the entire sky over Rawalpindi city was dotted with kites because the local residents were openly violating 'The Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Ordinance, 2001 (Ordinance LIX of 2001). The kite-flyers also executed aerial firing freely and played songs on loudspeakers. The police have recovered over 21,000 kites, 9,000 string rolls, sound systems and fire crackers.

According to the CPO official spokesman Muhammad Sajjad, the Sadiqabad Police arrested 120 kite-flyers and people executing aerial firing. The New Town Police have also arrested 82 violators, while Waris Khan Police arrested 45, Banni Police arrested 40. The Pirwdahi Police have arrested 20 violators, Gangmandi Police arrested seven, City Police arrested 15, Ratta Police arrested 15, Saddar Barooni Police arrested 15, Naseerabad Police arrested eight, Airport Police arrested nine, Civil Lines Police arrested one and Westridge Police arrested three during the ‘Basant’ celebrations on Friday.

Kite-flying is banned in Punjab and federal capital, owing to numerous fatal accidents caused by the use of metallic and glass-coated strings getting entangled in the necks of people. In 2020, the police had registered 1,074 FIRs and recovered over 200,000 kites, over 2,673 chemical string rolls, and arrested 1,353 violators. In 2007, the Supreme Court had imposed a ban on ‘Basant’ celebrations after the deaths of a number of people due to glass-coated strings.