Hyderabad forest officials have directed government departments to intensify action against the sale and use of prohibited synthetic manja, including cancellation of licences for shops found selling it and surveillance of online marketplaces supplying the material.
Head of Forest Force Vinay Kumar issued the directions during a review meeting with senior officials from several government departments at Aranya Bhavan on Friday. The measures are intended to protect Indian rollers, locally known as Palapitta, and other wildlife, as well as people who may be injured by the sharp kite string.
Kumar asked Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation officials to instruct shop owners not to sell synthetic manja and to take stringent action against violators. He also directed officials to strengthen surveillance of supplies arriving from other states, particularly Rajasthan and Gujarat, which were identified during the meeting as sources of synthetic manja entering Hyderabad.
The enforcement plan extends to digital commerce. Police officials were instructed to establish special surveillance mechanisms to identify the sale of Chinese manja through e-commerce platforms and coordinate with the relevant organisations to stop such transactions. The directions place online supply chains alongside physical shops as part of the enforcement effort.
The forest chief also called for public-awareness posters at bus stations, railway stations, markets and other crowded locations. The School Education Department was asked to inform students and parents about the dangers synthetic manja poses to people and birds. Bus drivers and conductors are to be advised to alert the Forest Department helpline if they identify illegal transportation of synthetic manja or the movement of Indian rollers and other wildlife on buses.
The directions come after voluntary organisations reportedly complained about the use of Chinese manja at a kite festival organised by the Tourism department. Kumar instructed officials to ensure that synthetic manja is not permitted at this year’s festival and that any such material found there is confiscated immediately.
The meeting also addressed the keeping of Indian rollers in cages for display at Durga pandals. Endowments Department officials were instructed to ensure that the birds are not kept in cages at temples. The forest department said the various departments would need to work together to protect wildlife and enforce the restrictions across shops, online platforms, public events and religious venues.
The directions establish a multi-agency enforcement approach, but the supplied report does not specify the number of inspections, licence cancellations, seizures or prosecutions that will follow. The immediate implementation points are the GHMC instructions to retailers, police monitoring of e-commerce sales, awareness activity at public locations and checks at the forthcoming kite festival.
