"LAHORE, Pakistan Ahead of this month's springtime festival of Basant, people crammed shoulder to shoulder into the narrow, dimly lit streets near Mochi Gate in Lahore's Old City, looking for kites and the string needed to fly them. Men crowded shop windows to see what supplies were being offered and for how much calling out in exasperation over inflated prices. Each legally sold kite was stamped with a QR code, signaling that the vendor was registered with the government and allowed to sell."
"There was a reason for these restrictions: Kite flying in Punjab had become lethal. In the years leading up to the provincial ban, dozens were killed during Basant some cut by kite strings coated with chemicals and glass paste. Late last year, the provincial government passed new legislation on kite flying and sales ahead of Basant's revival. This law, which includes stricter punishments for those who don't comply, repealed a 2001 ordinance on kite flying."
Basant returned to Lahore for three days in early February under strict regulation after a provincial ban that began in 2007. Vendors were required to register and stamp each legally sold kite with a QR code. Sales and flying had defined windows, banned items, and strict rules for sellers. New legislation repealed a 2001 ordinance and introduced harsher punishments for violations, including up to five years imprisonment or fines exceeding $7,000. The restrictions responded to deadly incidents in previous years when dozens died and some victims were cut by kite strings coated with chemicals and glass paste. The festival retained rooftop parties and nostalgic late-night kite flying.
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]