Following the directions of Raj Niwas, the AAP government has set up a 12-member committee headed by S.K. Gupta, who is from the chemical engineering department of IIT-Delhi, to look into the suggestions and objections received by the city administration’s environment department pertaining to draft notification issued on August 16 for proposing a ban on sharp nylon/ plastic/ synthetic manja and kite flying thread in the national capital.
The committee members include representatives from the ministry of environment and forest, Delhi government’s law, forest, health and revenue departments, the three municipal corporations, Delhi police, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Peta. An order to this effect issued by the government said, “It would be at the discretion of the chairman of the committee to invite any person as a special invitee other than the regular members in order to assist in the committee proceedings.”
The city government had issued a draft notification banning sale, production and storage of on sharp nylon/ plastic/ synthetic manja and kite flying thread in the national capital.
The notification said that kite flying would be permissible only with a cotton thread and natural fibre free from any metallic and glass components. It said that violators of the notification would be punishable with an imprisonment of up to five years or fine which may be extended up to Rs 1 lakh or with both. “There shall be complete ban on the sale, production, storage, supply and use of nylon, plastic and Chinese manja and any other kite flying thr-ead that is sharp or made sharp such as by being laced with glass, metal or other sharp objects in the national capital.”
The notification said, “During kite flying, a lot of injury is caused to the people and birds on account of pucca thread made out of plastic or similar such synthetic material commonly known as Chinese thread. These injuries many a times turn out to be fatal causing death of people and birds. It is, therefore, desirable to protect the people and birds from the fatal effects of the kite thread made out of plastic or synthetic thread as Chinese thread.”
A controversy had erupted in the proposing of draft notification with deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia tweeting and blaming environment secretary for the delay in issuing the said notification. Mr Sisodia had tweeted: “Environment Secret-ary took seven days to issue notification though file was cleared by my & Env Minster’s office within minutes on 9th August.”
