Strings attached to Sankranti revelry

From serious injuries to power interruptions, carelessly-discarded manja is posing grave threat

The ubiquitous presence of abandoned kites and manjas (threads) in public places is posing grave danger and problems to city residents, ranging between power interruptions and severe injuries.

Despite the Forest department’s assurance of effective control on sale and purchase of synthetic manja during this festive season, the nylon threads rolling about on the roads speak for their unbridled use.

Post the Sankranthi festival, the tangled manja is found lying on the roads and hanging from electrical poles almost everywhere. Almost invisible to walkers and vehicle riders, it is causing them to inadvertently trip over it or get seriously injured. A number of persons were injured, some of them severely, due to manja cuts on hands and necks.