Birds continue to reel from Chinese manja use

HYDERABAD: Three months on since Sankranthi or ‘the festival of kites’ was celebrated, birds in the city continue to suffer from the use of Chinese Manja as incidents of injuries and deaths among avians continue to be reported across the city.

While the number may not be as high as that of January, when over 100 bird deaths were reported, residents and birders continue to report rescue stories and lodge complaints with the GHMC.

In one such incident, a pigeon suffered a twisted neck upon being entangled with the Chinese manja, a synthetic thread, atop a tree near a library at Gunfoundry. Residents of Dhanavilas also sent a photo of the same to Deccan Chronicle.

In another recent incident, a citizen took to Twitter, tagging GHMC, to post about a crow getting entangled in Chinese manja at the Mahatma Gandhi Women’s Park in Dharma Reddy Colony of KPHB. The bird was rescued later.

Kite merchants said that the Chinese manja lasts for several months and can cause bodily harm not only to birds and animals, but also to humans.

Venu Gopal Bajaj, a kite merchant at Gulzar Houz, said, “The material starts entering the city around four months before Sankranthi. Authorities must come up with stringent laws to crack down and punish the suppliers.”

Officials also expressed concern over the use of Chinese manja.

L.S. Vijaya Srinivas Rao, Deputy Range Officer (anti-poaching squad), said, “Incidents of birds getting entangled with manja increase as soon as the festival of kites is completed, ever since the Chinese manja came to be used. Even after several months, such incidents continue to be reported. Upon receiving a complaint, our team visits the spot with a 40-foot reaching pole and if that is insufficient, we use a 23-foot ladder. The bird is then captured in a net, given first aid by us and then shifted either to a zoo or an NGO for further treatment.”

Complaints of such incidents can be made on the forest department’s toll-free helpline — 18004255364.