Basant festival begins in Rawalpindi despite ban
Published On 26 February,2021 04:40 am
There is a ban on kite flying under the Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Act of 2009.
RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) – Basant festival started in Rawalpindi when the clocked ticked 12:00am and kite flying enthusiasts reached the rooftops and started aerial firing and kite flying with chemical strings to celebrate the event with its traditional zeal and zest.
Basant night is being celebrated in almost every locality of Rawalpindi as the young enthusiasts are flying kites and found involved in aerial firing despite tall claims made by the police to use drones to keep an eye on kite flying and arrest the culprits.
Police select 280 rooftops to monitor kite flying
Islamabad
February 26, 2021
Rawalpindi: The local administration has selected 280 rooftops in the city to monitor activities of kite lovers celebrating ‘Basant’ festival today (Friday).
Deputy Commissioner (DC), Rawalpindi Captain (r) Anwar-ul-Haq and City Police Officer (CPO) Ahsen Younas have directed the deployment of police officers with video cameras and drones at 280 rooftops of city areas to monitor kite flyers. Total 2,500 police officers including 135 police teams, 30 Dolphin Squads, 35 Muhafiz Squads and 10 Elite Force Squads have started performing duties in all areas of the city.
Rawalpindi Kite Flying Welfare Association (RKFWA) is going to celebrate ‘Basant’ on Friday (today). They started celebrating ‘Basant’ on Thursday.
Police want harsh sentences for kite flying
Proposed amendments to law submitted to chief secretary
Flying kites can be lethal as many kite strings are coated with metal or crushed glass mixed with glue to help cut the strings of rival kites which have taken many lives. PHOTO FILE
LAHORE:
After claiming to follow a zero-tolerance policy regarding the ban on kite flying for over one and a half decades, police officials have recommended changes in the related legislation.
CCPO Lahore Ghulam Mahmood Dogar said while speaking to The Express Tribune that the police had suggested heavier fines and sentences for the offence and recommendations with proposed amendments to the Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Act 2001 had been submitted to the chief secretary for approval of Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar so that the dangerous activity could be eliminated under a new legal framework.
117 kite flyers jailed as ‘Basant’ banned
Islamabad
January 29, 2021
Rawalpindi : As many as 117 kite flyers and sellers have been sent to Adiala Jail on the violation of The Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Ordinance, 2001 (Ordinance LIX of 2001).
On the directions of the City Police Officer (CPO), different police stations have recovered over 51,000 kites and over 3,234 chemical strings roll from different localities and arrested 117 violators in the month of January. On the other hand, the Punjab government has imposed a complete ban on ‘Basant’ festival besides ordering authorities to strictly implement the regulations of the prohibition of the kite flying act.
The important decision has been made by the Punjab government after a brief meeting of Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar and Provincial Law Minister Raja Muhammad Basharat.