THE USE OF GLASS COATED STRINGS HAS BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME DURING THE "KITE FLYING FESTIVAL".EVERY YEAR THOUSANDS OF BIRDS GET INJURED BADLY AND MANY HAVE A PAINFUL DEATH.
THE GLASS COATED STRINGS GET ENTANGLED WITH THEIR SOFT FEATHERS AND AROUND THEIR NECKS, IN AN ATTEMPT TO FREE THEMSELVES THEY GET MORE ENTANGLED WITH THE STRING.SIMILAR IS THE PROBLEM WITH METAL AND PLASTIC COATED STRINGS.
The manja used in kite-flying competitions is often gummed and coated with powdered and finely crushed glass. Glass-, plastic- and metal-coated manja is deadly for thousands of pigeons, crows, owls, kites and other birds who are slashed, wounded and killed when they become entangled in the strings.
Sharp manja is hazardous not only for birds but also for humans – including passersby travelling on open vehicles, such as bicycles, motorcycles or scooters – and is responsible for numerous human injuries and deaths every year. In Mumbai, a stray manja cut a young person's throat, slicing the larynx and surrounding muscles, which are 3 to 4 cm thick. According to a news report , five people , including two children, were killed and nearly 250 people injured in the state of Gujarat alone – in just one month during Makar Sankranti.
