Animal board wants glass-coated kite strings banned

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has urged all the states and union territories to ban glass-coated, plastic, metal and other cutting forms of 'manja' - the thread used in kite-flying contests ahead of Independence Day.

"In order to uphold our nation's animal protection laws, the sale and use of glass-coated, metal, plastic or other sharp manjas must be banned. Your action would help safeguard the environment for people and for animals," S. Uma Rani, secretary of AWBI, said in a letter to state forest departments, the contents of which were released to the media Tuesday.

WBI is a statutory body under the ministry of environment and forests.

The letter by AWBI comes after the intervention of activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India.

The manja thread used in kite-flying competitions is often gummed and coated with powdered and finely crushed glass and metal, making it lethal for birds, who are slashed, wounded and killed when they become entangled in the strings. Besides birds, it also poses a threat to people, according to PETA.