Punjab: Police have no clue about the source of Chinese kite thread

Punjab: Despite multiple seizures of the deadly dragon door in recent times, the police have so far failed to reach its source – manufacturing units and storage facilities. Around Lohri, the police administration had launched a drive against the use of Chinese door and its illegal suppliers using drones. Besides, awareness campaigns were also conducted to convince the youth not to use it. However, the pace of the drive slowed down with the passage of time. On January 9, a team of the Punjab Pollution Control Board had seized around 1,200 spools of Chinese door from a vehicle. Initial investigations had indicated that the banned door was being stored in Haryana, from where it was being supplied to various parts of Punjab. It was also reported that it was purchased by Tarn Taran resident Nikhil. However, the suspect is still out of police’s reach. On December 23, the Cantonment police had arrested two persons, Hem Raj of Malka Chowk in Jalandhar and Davinder Singh of Chitta Katra, in connection with the seizure of 1,020 spools of synthetic kites being transported in a mini truck (PB-08-EB-1479) from Jalandhar. Last month, the police had seized over 1,000 spools following a tail-end search based on information received from kite-flying enthusiasts who had purchased kite thread illegally. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Alam Vijay Singh said initial investigations have found that the banned thread was supplied from Jalandhar. He said police teams are still trying to trace its source and unearth the linkages behind the ‘racket’. The state government has banned plastic kite thread due to its harmful effects. It was not only dangerous for humans but birds also fall prey to it. Being non-biodegradable, this thread is not safe for the environment. In October last year, Verka resident Harmritpal Singh died after his throat was slit by a kite string. On January 13, a youth named Pawan Kumar also died in a similar incident in Ajnala.