Makar Sankranti marks the Sun’s transition into Capricorn and, with it, the start of a nationwide run of harvest festivals that draw enormous crowds to temples, riverfronts and open grounds across India. The celebrations bring genuine safety considerations alongside the festivity: sharp kite strings, open flames and dense crowds are a recurring combination that local authorities and organisations alike need to plan around every January.
One festival, many regional names
The same harvest festival takes different forms across the country. Punjab and Haryana pair it with Lohri’s bonfires and feasts; Uttar Pradesh and Bihar mark it as Til or Khichdi Sankranti; West Bengal and Odisha observe Poush Sankranti with rice cakes and holy river baths; Assam celebrates Magh Bihu with community feasts; Gujarat and Rajasthan host Uttarayan’s kite festivals; and Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka mark Pongal, Sankranti or Suggi with jaggery, rangoli and cattle decoration.
The safety risks behind the celebrations
Glass-coated manjha strings pose a genuine injury risk to two-wheeler riders and pedestrians, while bonfires, crowded temple visits and holy dips carry fire, stampede and traffic-congestion risks. Authorities also flag environmental impacts from bonfire smoke and, in some regions, illegal cockfights, alongside the usual concerns around substance abuse and rash driving during the festive period.
Local directives: Surat’s neck-collar drive
Ahead of Uttarayan, Surat Police and the Traffic Department have launched a citywide safety drive, stationing teams at key junctions such as Chowpati Traffic Circle to distribute free protective neck collars to riders and quick-commerce delivery personnel. Kite flying has been prohibited on public roads, footpaths and unsafe rooftops, with time-based restrictions imposed between 0600 and 0800 hours, when two-wheeler traffic is at its heaviest.
Recommendations for organisations and individuals
Businesses should anticipate higher commuter risk before 0900 and after 1700 hours, mandate helmet and neck-guard use for two-wheeler commuters, and restrict the use or storage of glass-coated manjha on their premises. Individuals should prefer cotton or bamboo threads over chemical-coated manjha, avoid unsafe rooftops and narrow lanes, carry a first-aid kit, and stay alert in crowded areas near temples, open grounds and market zones.
Download the full special advisory now
The MitKat Special Advisory on Makar Sankranti 2026 covers a state-by-state map of local names, a full do’s-and-don’ts table for kite flying, and city-wise traffic and emergency helplines. Download the full advisory now to plan the festive period.
What is inside
- Makar Sankranti falls on 14 January 2026 and is celebrated under regional names such as Lohri, Pongal, Uttarayan, Poush Sankranti and Bihu across India.
- Key safety risks include injuries from sharp, glass-coated kite strings (manjha), bonfire and fire hazards, stampedes in crowded areas and petty crimes such as pickpocketing.
- Ahmedabad's International Kite Festival runs from 10 to 14 January, with the Sabarmati Riverfront hosting the grand Uttarayan festivities from 12 to 14 January.
- Surat Police are distributing free protective neck collars to two-wheeler riders and quick-commerce delivery staff, and have banned kite flying on public roads between 0600 and 0800 hours.
Filed under: India-South AsiaThreat Intelligence Advisories