A petition before the Delhi High Court has challenged the ban on manufacture, sale, purchase and storage of traditional cotton ‘manja’, a thread used in kite flying.
An association representing shopkeepers engaged in the trade of kite flying material, including ‘manja’, in its plea has contended that the Delhi government notification putting prohibiting on cotton ‘manja’ was contrary to the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order based on which it was issued.
It has contended that the NGT had banned manufacture, sale, purchase and storage of nylon or synthetic ‘manja’ and not the traditional cotton variety that was made sharp by lacing it with glass, metal, adhesive or some other material.
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The NGT, in its order of 2017, had not banned traditional cotton ‘manja’ and an appeal was moved by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in the Supreme Court for banning it, but even the apex court had declined to do so.