Ahmedabad, 31 December 2012

A 28-year-old youth, succumbed to death after receiving injuries when a stray piece of sharp kite flying ‘manja’ string slashed his neck on road. Jitbubhai Satarvadia, a loading rickshaw driver was out for work at 6.00 pm on Sunday in Vastral area of Ahmedabad riding his bike.

After being hurt suddenly from sharp kite flying string, Jitubhai tried to remove it but by then he was injured severely. He started bleeding heavily because the string cut his neck.

He succumbed to death immediately on the spot with heavy bleeding.

Every year during and before the festival of Uttarayan (14th January which is celebrated as Kite flying day in Gujarat), countless people (especially those riding two-wheelers) receive injury due to lethal kite flying strings. Some injuries are so serious and deep that victims never survive. The civic authority in Surat closes an over-bridge to save two-wheelers from lethal manja. In Ahmedabad, the civic authority sets up bamboo sticks on certain over bridges to save two-wheeler riders from lethal kite flying stings. But it is not possible to do on every road and on every bridge and over bridge.

Birds suffer more injuries compare to humans during this festival.

The Gujarat govt banned Chinese string last year, but even common desi ‘manja’ strings coated with powder of glasses are equally lethal.