ome spring, and the skies over Lahore as well as other parts of Pakistan would fill with colourful kites, as eager flyers gathered on the rooftops of public and private buildings, dancing and shouting with joy. However, such happy scenes now seem like a distant memory.

Since 2006, kite-flying remains banned in the Punjab, putting an end to the once-celebrated and much-loved festival of Basant. This was necessitated by the occurrence of several tragic incidents in which the kite string coated with glass dust or chemicals badly hurt random motorbike riders in the streets, killing many.

The Lahore High Court not only slapped a ban on the sport, but also barred the sale and purchase of kites.

It appears that the ban wasn’t very effective after all, as people have been caught flying kites. Most recently, a young man named Asif Ashfaq succumbed to serious neck injury from stray kite string in the city of Faisalabad. He was riding his motorbike when he fell prey to the lethal embrace of the kite string. A bystander captured the harrowing incident on his phone camera. The footage later became viral on social media, prompting Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to visit the bereaved family. She ordered an inquiry and a crackdown against those involved in the trade.

Next we knew, the government had initiated a campaign to outfit motorcycles with safety antennae in order to prevent string-related fatalities. Since March 28, the traffic police have been engaging with motorcyclists to raise awareness about the importance of such safety measures.

It began with the dishing out of plastic rods. But now, aluminum rods are being distributed. The cops say these can more effectively resist the string.

Garhi Shahu Traffic Deputy Superintendent of Police Muhammad Ashfaq is spearheading an educational campaign as part of the drive to ensure citizens’ safety. Talking to TNS, he says, “Every day, we set up checkpoints at various locations, briefly halting the motorcyclists to educate them about the significance of installing safety antennae.”

For now, it seems that the campaign isn’t gaining much traction in Lahore. On The Mall alone, you’d hardly spot a motorcycle with a safety antenna. There’s a reason for that: the prices of safety antennae have surged.

Occasionally, they distribute the antennae also.

Thursday last, the DSP, along with his two staff members, set up a checkpoint on Allama Iqbal Road, near Garhi Shahu Chowk. Since the road is frequently choked, the checkpoint caused a gridlock. This scribe asked a few motorcyclists if they were aware of the government’s initiative to install safety antennae on motorcycles. They said they had seen it in the media. One motorcyclist stated that since the drive did not involve any ticket/ fine, he had chosen to ignore it. But he agreed that the kite string posed a threat to motorcyclists. Upon the insistence of DSP Ashfaq, he promised to install an antenna soon.

Lahore’s first women CTO, Ammara Athar says the female wardens have already distributed more than 25,000 safety antennae among motorcyclists since March 28, the day the campaign was launched. However, this number pales in comparison when you consider the number of registered motorcycles in Lahore, which stands at 4.4 million.

“Our job is to take proactive measures in order to prevent deaths from kite strings,” she adds. “I’m personally overseeing the distribution of safety antennae by our wardens at different intersections.”

For now, it seems the campaign isn’t gaining much traction in Lahore. On The Mall alone, you’d hardly spot a motorcycle with a safety antenna. There’s a reason for that: the safety antennae have become a lucrative business. Previously priced between Rs 100 and Rs 150, they are now being sold for Rs 500 or so, leaving the poor motorcyclists grumbling.

CTO’s spokesperson Rana Arif says regulation of prices is not the domain of the department. Dr Rizwan Safdar, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of the Punjab, suggests that if the government wishes to prevent fatalities from kite string, it should regulate kite flying or take measures to make it a safe sport. “One solution would be to allow the sport for a certain period of time in designated areas,” he says. “Another would be to make safety antennae mandatory.”

The writer is a media veteran interested in politics, consumer rights and entrepreneurship