Cricket coach injured by manja on Western Express Highway during Makar Sankranti

While for many Makar Sankranti is a festival of joy and entertainment sharp kite strings commonly known as manja that is used in the traditional kite flying on the occasion pose a serious threat to humans and animals alike often turning celebration into tragedyA 35yearold cricket coach Rajesh Parkar from Kandivli was injured while riding his motorcycle on the Western Express Highwayrsquos Bisleri Flyover on Wednesday afternoon He was travelling to his maternal unclersquos house near Shivaji Park when a sharp kite string struck his faceBharat Kadam Borivli resident whose neck was slashed by manja on the Andheri flyover PicShirish VaktaniaSpeaking to midday the coach said he immediately slowed down his bike after the impact but the manja hit his nose and left eye He suffered a nose injury and severe eye irritation after the string brushed against his eyeballldquoI appeal to people to enjoy kite flying responsibly Your entertainment should not become the cause of mourning for another family Last year a policeman lost his life after his throat was slit by a manjardquo he saidA man collects sharp manja hanging from trees in Gorai to prevent injuries to commuters and pedestrians during kiteflying celebrations PicsBy Special ArrangementIn another incident the same day a man narrowly escaped serious injury on a flyover near the Times of India press in Kandivli on the Western Express Highway when a kite string became entangled around his neck Fortunately the string was an ordinary one and snapped Passersby immediately stopped traffic and helped remove itThe victim identified as Jaishankar Pandey 42 a resident of Pimpri Pada in Malad East told midday that he had arrived in Mumbai just a day earlier and was returning home from work when the incident occurred He sustained marks on his neck and later consulted a doctorThe reporter witnessed heightened alertness among citizens across several areas of the city At many locations people were seen stopping vehicles to manually remove or cut kite strings tangled on roads and street poles to prevent accidents In Gorai two youths were seen carefully collecting manja hanging from trees and disposing of it safelyA cricket coach Rajesh ParkarHowever minors were also seen risking their lives by chasing flying kites along busy highways particularly from Malad West to Borivli West Borivli East and up to BandraEvery year during Makar Sankranti numerous birds suffer injuries after getting entangled in kite strings To address this Karuna Trust Virar along with other organisations has set up special bird rescue and medical camps across Mumbai and its surrounding areas Injured birds are treated by veterinary doctors Multiple camps have been organised this year as wellJaishankar Pandey 42 shows marks on his neck after he got entangled in kite string on a flyover PicBy Special ArrangementBird Rescue and Medical CampsVIRAR WestKaruna Trust Sheetal Nagar Virar 365 days 9819477042BHAYANDAR WestAhinsa Charitable Trust 365 days 9821391283BHAYANDAR EastJivdaya Steel Association 365 days 9321503820 9321503825MIRA ROADVinay Nagar January 15ndash16 7718060066 8898116544 9821280604Samkit Yuvak Mandal 7900043371 7900042370DAHISAR amp BORIVLI January 14ndash16Shree Samkit Yuvak Mandal 9324747555 8080000804 8928720698KANDIVLIMaa Foundation 365 days 8655370005MALADJivdaya Abhiyan January 13ndash17 365 days 828261212GOREGAON WestJawahar NagarAasha amp Samkit Group January 14ndash15 9987929223 9076388362 9892465888Karuna Parivar Trust 365 days 9833625427VILE PARLEVardhman Sanskar Dham January 14ndash15 9820928457 9619725637GRANT ROADKhetwadiBird Helpline 365 days 8655370005Nanubhai Desai Road CP Tank January 14ndash17 BVP amp Shree Shanti Kushal Mandal 9699560095 9833133917 9653135551 9004403912 9892052027MARINE LINESChira Bazar JSS RoadShree Jain Alert Group 9323237582 7977353745 9869138767 9869388345 9619472708