The festival of Uttarayana is a festival of joy, but the deadly string of kites proves deadly for motorists. Motorists, especially those passing through city overbridges, are seriously injured or killed due to cord strangulation. To avoid this danger, Manoj Bhavsar of Ahmedabad has been running a unique service campaign for the last 19 years. Every year Manoj Bhavsar works to tie thin iron wires on all the important overbridges of Ahmedabad city before Uttarayan. The main objective behind this operation is to protect the two-wheeler drivers passing over the bridge from the kite string. When the kite is cut and comes to the bridge, the string tied at this height stops the string, so that it does not reach the neck of the motorist directly. They also take the help of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in this Bhagirath work. They bear all the cost of constructing the safety wire by themselves with their savings and the support of their friends. Every year before Uttarayan, from December 26 to January 10, around 33 accident-prone overbridges in different areas of Ahmedabad prepare a safety barrier by tying steel wire. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) provides them with hydraulic vehicles for working at heights. The result of his continuous efforts for the last 19 years is that there has been a significant reduction in the incidents of wire tripping on bridges where wires are installed.
Manoj Bhavsar has been tying wires on bridges for 19 years to save motorists from fatal accidents on Uttarayan. is featured on Aapnu Amdavad — the digital home of Ahmedabad, where Amdavadis discover stories and everything happening across the city.