After several residents, including a police sub-inspector, suffered serious injuries due to nylon manja used by kite flyers in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the city police are using drones to trace the use of the banned manja in the city. Along with this, the police have launched a crackdown on shopkeepers selling the banned nylon manja and revellers using it openly.

Kite flying is a major event during the Makar Sankranti festival. Not only young children but even adults take pride in flying kites. The enthusiasm of the flyers intensifies when they can cut the kites of their rivals in the air. In the quest, people use various means to sharpen their threads. In the past few years, people have been using nylon manja, which poses a great threat to the residents, especially two-wheeler riders. Several two-wheeler riders had been injured due to this manja in recent days.

Deepak Parde, a sub-inspector with the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Rural Police, suffered a serious throat injury on Tuesday morning. While going to the SP office for duty on his bike, Parde’s neck got entangled in nylon manja and he had to undergo surgery after bleeding profusely.

Although the Makar Sankranti festival has ended, the enthusiasm of the kite flyers has not ceased yet. The kites have been spotted in the sky even on Wednesday. The police on Tuesday kept a watch with the help of a drone in the sky. The drive will continue for the next few days, said senior police officers.

The experts opine that enthusiasts should enjoy flying kites, but they should ensure that their passion doesn’t end up hurting others. Instead of nylon manja, they should use cotton thread for flying the kites. Not only humans are injured due to the manja but several birds and animals also suffer injuries.