Banned Chinese manja continues to be in high demand ahead of Uttarayan

As the countdown begins for the Makar Sankranti begins, markets are buzzing with variety of kites.

In the aerial battleground of kite-flying, Indian manja and Chinese threads vie for supremacy, sparking debates on safety, craftsmanship, and cultural implications. Though the Chinese manja has been banned from the market, Indian manja sellers state that it is still in high demand over Indian manja.

An Indian manja manufacturer Indra Singh speaking to ANI, said, "We make Manja. Earlier, we used to start making this before six months. Now, we just start before fifteen days. We do the work based on the demand. We sell both wholesale and retail. We have seller sales compared to previous years. The people are more interested in buying Chinese manja."

A commoner named Arjun Singh said, "The Chinese manja is very dangerous. Though the government has banned the Chinese manja, it is still in demand."

Earlier in December, two people from Hyderabad were arrested for selling large quantity of banned Chinese Manja. According to the police, on credible information, a raid was conducted on Tuesday at a shop named Bajaj Patang Ghar at Gulzar house, Charminar and A1- Kite Shop at Opposite Charms Garden, Kalapather. During the raid large quantity of banned Chinese synthetic nylon glass-coated manja was recovered and subsequently, the arrest was made.

During interrogation, it came to know that, they were illegally procuring the banned Chinese Manja from Uttar Pradesh's Agra and Karnataka's Raichur. They used Private vehicles to transport it to Hyderabad. And later sell it to the retail shop holders and needy customers in and around Hyderabad at higher prices for kite flying during the Makar Sankranti festival.

The National Green Tribunal banned the Chinese Manja on January 10, 2017 due to its harmful impact to the environment. Chinese Manja, which is coated in crushed glass, instead of cotton fabric can cause accidents and cut the skin of humans and animals.

The Delhi High Court, in August 2022, directed police to keep a check on the manufacturing and selling of Chinese Manja.