Two Bike Riders Injured by Banned Chinese Manja on Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Road

Bhubaneswar: Two persons travelling on a motorcycle were injured when the rider’s necks got entangled by banned Chinese manja used by a kite flier on the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack road near Balikuda on Monday. People fly kites to mark Makar Sankranti and some of them still use the banned Chinese manja as kite string.

The injured duo was travelling to Cuttack from Niali.  The person driving the bike was seriously injured as his neck was cut by the stray Chinese kite string. He lost balance and fell, because of which the pillion rider was also injured.

Both injured were rushed to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for treatment.

Cuttack police have banned the use and sale of ‘plastic’ and Chinese ‘manja’ strings for kite flying, yet people continue to use them.

Ahead of Makar Sankranti, Cuttack Additional DCP Anil Mishra had warned of strict action against those found flying kites using the Chinese manja threads. But people continue to use them, endangering the lives of people travelling on roads.

During Makar Sankranti kites are flown by people. Banned Chinese manja strings are used as to cut strings of other kites easily. This lethal sharp string at times cuts the throat of bike riders, causing serious injury and even death.