Celebrating festivals shouldn’t cost people their lives

Kids flying kites at Kherwadi along the Western Express Highway

Our prominent report about one young man dead and several people injured by glass-coated manja, wiped the celebratory smiles off faces, post Sankranti.

It is now vital that cops and authorities move with speed and focus to prevent further accidents by cracking down hard on manja sold and where exactly this kind of kite string is being procured. An extensive, hard-hitting campaign, citing punishment and jail time for those flouting the rule must be considered. This can be across multiple media including social media so that the message is reinforced. The laser-sharp focus should be on the source of the string. If we can cut that off, then, a large amount of work mitigating these incidents and terrible tragedies can be done. Announcements of bans is alright, but there are suppliers and sellers slipping through the cracks, evidently.

Those who buy and then fly these are indulging in a murderous campaign, pure and simple. There is no point in sugar-coating this claim and trying to skirt around it. That is why the anti-glass coated strings campaign needs to be extremely hard hitting and on the spot. It also needs to be sustained.

Secondly, the public has done well to rush the injured to the nearest medical facility. Everybody must note the impressive alacrity and react in the same way, when it comes to accidents. This is better than standing around, debating about what to do and clucking in dismay. Constructive, quick action is needed and that showed that it can save lives.

Hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones or even whose people have been injured. Let this be the time when we really work to educate people on the extreme danger this poses. Do not read a communal angle into these reports or edit. This is about safeguarding lives. Celebrations, festivals are meant to be marked with happiness. Not in hospitals.