Police clamp down on ‘Basant lovers’, arrest 11 violators in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi: Police clamped on kite lovers in different parts of the city and arrested 11 of them besides impounding 9,200 kites and 3,400 roles of glass coated and metal strings.

Rawalpindi Kite Flying Association (RKFA) had given two separate dates for celebrating ‘Basant’ schedule according to which residents of Tench, Dhamyal, Bakramandi, Lalkurti, Asghar Mall, Bagh Sardaran, Jhanda, Scheme-III and some of other city and cant localities were to celebrate it on February 16 while the remaining parts of the city will celebrate it on February 23, next Friday.

However, as part of its awareness campaign police installed loudspeakers over their vans warning public not to fly kites otherwise they will face strict legal action. Waris Khan Police, Race Course Police, RA Bazaar Police, Sadiqabad Police, Ratta Amral Police and Ganjmandi Police arrested dozens of violators during the crackdown.

Since Friday morning, police parties continuously raided different localities of city and cantonment board to arrest violators. Police teams were checking suspected motorcars as well as motorcyclists and impounded 9,200 kites, 3,400 roles of glass coated string including role of chemical strings and arrested 11 violators.

The deputy commissioner (DC), Rawalpindi Talat Gondal along with City Police Officer (CPO) Israr Abbasi visited different localities of the city and cantonment board to check kite-flying violations on Friday.

The deputy commissioner (DC), Rawalpindi Talat Gondal said that Punjab government strictly banned kite-flying. “We will take action against violators at any cost,” he warned. Parents should advise their children not to fly kites otherwise they will face the music, he said. He said that strict action will also be taken against those police officials who failed to stop kite-flying in their jurisdictions.

For a week, police continuously started an awareness campaign in all areas particularly in educational institutions against kite-flying. On the other hand, flouting the ban, some kite lovers of Tench, Bakramandi, Dhamyal Road, Pirwdahi and Naseerabad areas celebrated ‘Basant’ were seen flying kites with youngsters trying to catch falling kites on Friday.

The Punjab government imposed a complete ban on kite flying and directed deputy commissioners and city police officers across the province to implement the ban at any cost. Women police officers were also directed to search kites and chemical strings from houses.

Kite-flying is popular in whole subcontinent but it has become a dangerous activity due to many death and injuries when people fall off roofs chasing kites, road accidents, cut throat with chemical coated strings.