RAWALPINDI: Basant was celebrated here in different parts of the city, including the cantonment areas despite a ban, while police arrested 118 kite flyers and sellers, and recovered thousands of kites and string rolls.
According to the police spokesman, the Rawalpindi police arrested 82 on Friday and 36 violators on Thursday night, during the crackdown.
The police had made it clear that kite flying was banned and strict action would be taken against the violators, but the enthusiasts celebrated Basant on Thursday night and Friday, flouting the ban without fearing the consequences.
Kite flying was going on unchecked in different parts of the city and cantonment areas despite ban as a number of kites of different colours and sizes could be seen flying in various areas.
Every year, with the advent of spring, people of different areas celebrate Basant festival. However, the authorities concerned had imposed a ban on it, in a bid to save the lives of the citizens.
When asked, Umani Ali, a kite lover said that while celebrating the event, one could enjoy for some time. He admitted that despite the fact that it was banned, some people wanted to celebrate it for the sake of their happiness.
However, Majid – who had witnessed an incident in which a minor child got injured due to kite-flying string – spoke totally in favour of the ban as it could save a number of lives.
He pointed out that strings made of glass-wire or metal had claimed several precious lives and a number of incidents had taken place in different cities in the past, when persons particularly motorcyclists sustained fatal injuries.
A police spokesman said that the Rawalpindi district police on the directives of City Police Office had finalized all the arrangements to arrest the violators of the ban.
He said that a complete ban was imposed on selling kites and other material to discourage the practice and save precious lives.
He said that 863 kite sellers and flyers were sent behind the bars during this season and over 29,000 kites and kite flying string rolls were recovered from their possession.
In several areas, particularly in the old city, the police faced great difficulty in arresting kite flyers, he added.
The spokesman said all police stations of the cities had been directed to accelerate the ongoing operations against violators, while special teams under the supervision of senior police officers were also conducting raids in different areas.
The Superintendent of Police, Rawal, said that all available resources were being utilized to deal with those flouting ban on kite flying.
He said the police under the supervision of senior police officers on Thursday conducted a flag march in Rawal Division to curb kite flying.
Divisional SDPOs, SHOs, Elite Force, Traffic Police, and Dolphin Squad participated in the flag march, he added.