China Dor deadlier than Covid: No action on ground; deaths continue; why is the govt asleep?
PTC Web Desk: The recurring deaths caused by China dor are no longer tragic coincidences; they are the direct result of administrative paralysis and political indifference. Every throat slit by this razor-sharp string is a reminder that laws without enforcement are nothing but empty announcements.
Despite a clear ban, despite repeated fatalities, and despite public outrage year after year, China dor continues to circulate freely across Punjab’s towns and villages. Children on bicycles, women on scooters, commuters on two-wheelers — none are safe. The question is no longer why is China dor killing people, but why is the government allowing it to continue?
What makes these deaths particularly infuriating is their predictability. The government knows when kite-flying peaks. It knows where the illegal trade thrives. It knows how the banned string enters the state, how it is stocked and how it is discreetly sold. Yet, enforcement remains cosmetic: a few raids, some seizures, a handful of arrests, followed by silence until the next death jolts the headlines.
If the ban were serious, China dor would not be available on demand through back-alley sellers and online messaging groups. If the intent were genuine, suppliers would be behind bars, not back in business after token penalties. If accountability existed, officials responsible for enforcement lapses would face consequences. None of this is happening.
The state government routinely shifts blame, sometimes to smugglers, sometimes to public behaviour and sometimes to “lack of awareness.” This evasion ignores a basic truth: public safety is not optional, and ignorance is not an excuse for administrative failure.
Kite flying is being unfairly blamed for what is essentially a regulatory collapse. The problem is not celebration; the problem is the unchecked circulation of a lethal product. When a banned item continues to kill, responsibility rests with those tasked to stop it, not with victims who happened to cross its path.
What Punjab urgently needs is not another warning advisory or festival-season crackdown, but sustained action: Permanent monitoring of known supply hubs, intelligence-based policing to dismantle distribution networks, swift prosecution with strict punishment, not symbolic fines and clear accountability of district administrations for every violation.
Most importantly, the government must stop treating China dor deaths as unfortunate incidents and start recognising them as avoidable state failures. Each life lost to this menace is a verdict against complacency. Each injury is evidence that enforcement exists only on paper. And each passing season without decisive action strengthens the message that human life ranks below political convenience.
Punjab cannot afford this indifference anymore. A government that cannot enforce its own ban has no moral authority to express condolences. The time for half-measures is over. Either the state acts decisively, or it must accept responsibility for every life lost to China dor.
- PTC NEWS
