The Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench has directed the Maharashtra government to trace how banned nylon manja reaches Nagpur and determine whether it is being transported by rail, road or courier services. The order comes amid continuing injuries and deaths involving the sharp synthetic kite string among people and animals in Vidarbha.
A bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Rajnish Vyas issued the directions while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation based on media reports about incidents linked to nylon manja. The court also asked authorities to submit details of nylon manja seized since last year.
The hearing exposed a key enforcement gap: government authorities did not have precise information about the source from which the banned string was entering the city. The court has now asked the administration to identify the supply chain and establish the channels through which the material is reaching Nagpur.
The state government told the bench that it had introduced several enforcement measures. These include special teams, area-wise surveillance, fixing responsibility on officials, coordination with the transport department and traffic police, and coordination with the railway parcel department.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation informed the court that it had made its website and a WhatsApp number available for complaints from residents. The court had earlier directed authorities to create an effective mechanism to prevent the manufacture, sale and use of the banned string.
The directions place the issue beyond individual consumer violations and focus attention on the movement and distribution of the material. Identifying whether nylon manja is entering through transport networks, parcel services or other routes will determine how enforcement agencies can intervene before the product reaches local markets and users.
The bench also questioned why administrative authorities had failed to curb the sale of nylon manja over the past five years despite the known risks. During the hearing, it orally asked why the cost of treatment for people injured by the banned string should not be recovered from officials concerned.
The court further directed that the policy for preventing nylon manja use be circulated among officials across departments. The instruction is intended to improve coordination between agencies responsible for civic administration, transport, policing, traffic management and environmental enforcement.
Nischay Jadhav appeared as amicus curiae. Shishir Uke represented the Maharashtra government, while SS Sanyal appeared for the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. The authorities are now required to provide the court with details of seizures and report on the steps taken to trace the supply source.
