Kolkata: Minister Agnimitra Paul on Sunday came to the rescue of two bikers who were injured — one of them severely — as they got involved in a pile-up on the Maa after one of the bikers had Chinese Manja entangled on his neck.Paul was returning to the city when she spotted the accident. She got off and rushed to help, providing water and arranging first-aid even as she instructed cops to arrange for an ambulance. She asked how the incident took place. A biker involved said a motorcycle was travelling on the flyover when a red manja suddenly entangled on the neck of its rider. As a result, the victim applied brakes. “A car travelling behind the manja-hit bike and just ahead of me also had to apply brakes. I could not apply brakes on time and hit the rear side of the car, severely injuring myself,” he told Paul.The minister then went on to ask the cops how the manjas were reaching the flyover and summoned Topsia cops to the spot. She also passed necessary instructions. Later, the minister posted about the incident on her FB page and cautioned kite-flyers.‘On the way back to Kolkata, on the MAA Flyover, I saw a bike rider injured after kite string got wrapped around his neck, and while trying to save him, 1 car and 1 bike met with accidents one after another. These kite strings truly become very dangerous on the road in this way. The biker who was at the very back was quite seriously injured, and I arranged to have him sent to the hospital. Those of you who fly kites, please fly them a little carefully. Try to avoid busy roads while flying kites, so that the strings do not become dangerous, especially for those who ride bikes,’ she wrote.This was the fourth Manja accident on the flyover in eight weeks and comes despite elaborate arrangements by Kolkata police to stop such incidents around Biswakarma puja. The local police had been conducting special raids in the bylanes of Beniapukur and Topsia to ensure there was no selling of Chinese Manjas. Similar raids were also carried in the Port and eastern suburban divisions. The police – as an additional measure –l set up extra police patrol vehicles and a drone on the Maa Flyover and Vidyasagar Setu to ensure that any kite could be removed in case they fell on the flyovers.The Chinese manjha (a nylon thread coated with glass and metals dusts like lead and copper) can create gash wounds to any human or birds moving as it is harmful to both humans and birds. Despite a ban, there has been limited awareness and subsequent decrease in its use across the city, as well as the country. The bikers get them entangled mostly on their neck and face leading to serious wounds.
