The kite-thirsty skies of the metropolitan are expected be have their demands met on April 13 or 14, Pakistan Today has learnt. Officials of the City District Government Lahore will meet today to finalise the Basant issue.
It had been long since the citizens had been demanding government to lift the ban on Basant, while another stratum of the society had been up against the festival because the use of chemical string in kite flying caused severe twine injuries, also sometimes leading to deaths.
While the second coming of Basant is considered by many a sigh of relief for people belonging to the kite flying industry, citizens in opposition of the festival fear twine accidents which will ensue with kite-flying.
Citizens, with a more optimistic view, welcome the festival and propose that government should regulate this festival and make sure that chemical and metal twines are not used.
“We are very happy and I think we should enjoy this event and not make it complicated with the use of arms or chemical string. We used to spend a large amount of money to celebrate this event. The government should make sure that event is celebrated safely,” Aslam Mujahid, a citizen, told Pakistan Today.
Officials from the Kite Flying Association also welcome the event on the premise that the festival will not only bring back tourists in the province, leading to a boom in businesses and increased revenues, but will also bring back to life the kite makers who had lost their livelihood with the ban on the festival.
“We warmly welcome the decision of the government. This step gave a breath of life to the kite business. It will also help in portraying a soft image of the country and bring back the tourists who used to come especially for the festival,” an official from the Lahore Kite Flying Association told Pakistan Today.