Nylon manja in use for kite flying despite nationwide ban, injuries to birds continue

“The use of nylon has been banned but it is not successful because they have not thought of a way to implement it. Festivals should be celebrated but not by inflicting cruelty on those poor birds,” said Sunish Subramanian, honourary wildlife warden, Mumbai city.

On Sunday, as the city celebrated Makar Sankranti, Save Birds Foundation, a bird rescue centre in Kandivali East, received 40 calls reporting bird injuries. “The ban has not prevented people from using the nylon manja. At least in this part of the city it is still being sold in discrete ways. On a normal day, I receive only around eight to 10 calls and in the coming week we will receive more calls as birds get injured from the manja stuck in tree branches, wires and antennas,” said Rohit Dedhia, a member of the foundation.

Subramanian agreed, saying: “People celebrate the festival for a day or two but its effects are seen through the year as the manja gets entangled in trees or windows of houses and the birds later get stuck in them. They even tend to use them in making nests further injuring them.”

Harsh Shah, an animal welfare officer nominated by the Environment Ministry validates these claims. Shah, who also conducts rescue operations in south Mumbai, received at least 40 to 50 cases of bird injuries through the day. “To my knowledge nylon manja is available openly and the authorities are not taking any action. Although we have seen less cases than the numbers reported last year, it is all due to the use of nylon manja and the number may increase in the coming week,” he said.

Ramesh Shah of Jain Alert Group, which conducts rescue operations in Kalbadevi area, rescued at least nine birds on Sunday, including an owl. “Of the birds we rescued today, all were caught in nylon manja. People can use cotton manja to fly their kites and these birds would not be affected,” he said.

However, it appears that the demand for ‘Chinese manja’, as it is officially known as, has declined considerably this year. Subramanian attributes it to greater awareness among the people about its ill effects. “There is at least 50 per cent decline in the demand for this thread as the consumers have become aware about its danger,” he said.

Manik Prabhakar of Vipul Kites, a store in Malad East, admitted that the awareness among the people has reduced the demand for the manja. His store also displays a poster, pleading customers to not be cruel to birds. “Not many of our customers demanded for nylon manja this year and it is due to the awareness among them. However, kids still come asking for it and we have to politely explain to them the risks of using it,” he said.

However, Jitendra Mishra, a kite seller in Khar, said, “We do not support the use of nylon manja. But we had some stock left from last year and we had to clear it. No authorities came to our store to check if we still sold them… Due to the demand, it is still widely sold in the black market at higher prices.”