Sale of Chinese strings picks up

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 6

Lohri and Basant Panchami are just round the corner and the sale of Chinese strings, also called ‘China Dor’, has also picked up in the market.

However, shopkeepers are treading cautiously and not selling the banned string openly.

The Ludhiana Commissionerate has only registered a few cases pertaining to the sale of this banned string. Recently, 95 spools of Chinese strings were recovered from a shopkeeper. Although the police officials are aware of this, they are yet to start a full-fledged campaign to nail down shopkeepers selling this deadly string.

Chinese string is available in Upkar Nagar, Haibowal, near the Civil Hospital, Hargobind Pura and old city areas. Most of the shopkeepers are selling it on the pretext of selling kites. Shopkeepers have not stocked it in their shops, but have kept it in their cars or scooters and whenever any customer arrives, they sell it.

In retail, a spool of Chinese string costs Rs400 to a buyer, while in wholesale, a full box containing over two dozen spools of banned string costs around Rs12,000. Interestingly, if a customer demands this string, he has to wait for around 10 minutes, as the shopkeeper brings it from a “secret” place.

On being asked about the ongoing sale of Chinese strings, Ludhiana Police Commissioner Sukhchain Singh Gill said: “The Police Department will soon issue orders regarding the sale of Chinese string, as its use can cause major mishaps or injuries to commuters on road.

Last year, the police registered several FIRs against those selling Chinese strings. They are still selling the deadly plastic string in the market.

Now, fly kites with Chinese string and face an FIR

Now, anyone found using a Chinese string while flying kites may invite trouble, as the police can also register an FIR against the kite flyer. A senior police official said negligence while flying kites could lead to criminal prosecution. There is a provision under the Aircraft Act, 1934, that makes negligent kite-flying a crime. If a person harms someone while flying kites, he/she can be booked under Section 11 of the Aircraft Act, a police official said. He, however, felt that enforcing this law in the city seems impractical.

Available at almost all shops selling kites 

Suvrat Jain, a school student, said Chinese string was available at most of the shops in the city, but the shopkeepers sell it to those who they believe will not inform the police. A roll which was recently available at Rs 400 is now available for Rs 600. “I cannot reveal the name, else the police will close the shop and if this happens, from where will we buy this strong string? he asked.