A vendor promoting totally different manufacturers of ‘manjas’ used by the kite lovers to have interaction in aerial battles with kites on the eve of Sankranti in Hyderabad.
| Photo Credit: RAMAKRISHNA G
Five years after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) slapped a nationwide ban on synthetic-glassed thread (manja), the prohibited items continues to be being hawked, listed on-line, and peddled surreptitiously. On July 11, 2017, the NGT known as for the ban to be enforced by Chief Secretaries of the states and directed the Union of India to “ban import of any synthetic manja/nylon thread or similar thread coated with synthetic substances”.
The manja, generally known as Chinese manja, is just not listed both as a prohibited items or restricted items by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade. It is that this hole that the importers are filling in. Glassed thread and kites are coming into the nation beneath Harmonised System of Nomenclature (HSN) code 95059090.
“As per policy, there is no restriction or prohibition on import of the item,” knowledgeable a DGFT official in Hyderabad after verifying the code. The HSN code implies it’s ‘Festive, Carnival Or Other Entertainment Articles, Including Conjuring Tricks And Novelty Jokes’. Data on the Department of Commerce web site exhibits that in 2022 items, a bit of its reels of thread, price ₹121.96 crore got here into the nation logging a wholesome 18.65% development.
Some of it’s being hawked in the black market. Dhoolpet earned notoriety with bootleg liquor generally known as gudumba earlier than the State authorities tweaked its excise coverage, bringing down the worth of nation liquor, pushing out the bootleggers. Now, it’s Chinese manja that’s being bought in the black market.
“Even if there is a ban on imports, the local industries are manufacturing similar stuff but at a higher price. All youngsters ask for that,” says Kushal Singh, a wholesale supplier, who’s now utilizing a motorised curler to fill charaks (bobbins).
The road between Purana Pul and Bhoiguda kaman (a 3 km stretch) is a riot of color with kites and vibrant reels of string hanging on doorframes of dozens of retailers. “Most of the shops are wholesale dealers that are functioning for the past one month. There is a huge demand as business in the last two years was not so good. There are 280 shops on this stretch,” stated Abhishek Singh, a wholesale supplier. “The older people ask for manja, the young people want thangoos(Chinese manja) that we are not stocking as there huge penalties if caught,” he says. He informs a couple of stockist who was busted with 100 cartons of Chinese manja.
“The Chinese manja is still available on the sly. We are asking people not to fly the kites in the early morning or evening. And to remove the used waste threads and other material once the flying session is over,” says S. Bhandari, a jeweller working a marketing campaign on the ill-effects of the manja. “Earlier, the Forest department was involved when we raided these shops. Now only police is raiding and seizing material,” says Mr. Bhandari whose crew has rescued 17 birds this season.
One of the greatest wholesalers in the metropolis is Balaji Patang Company which will get its inventory from throughout the nation. “We are out of stock. We have only the Surati manja. While a reel of the Surati manja costs ₹1,100, a smaller reel wound around a plastic bobbin costs ₹280. This is made locally and is in great demand,” says Prabhakar Singh sitting in his store that was began by his grandfather.
The kites, together with the one with RRR and NTR’s {photograph}, are from Kanpur. Only the vibrant paper kites with beautiful craftsmanship are made regionally. “All the manja is from outside. There are no manja makers in the city who can meet demands of quality and quantity,” he says.