BSES has issued an advisory for Independence Day, urging people not to fly kites near electrical installations and transformers.
A senior BSES official said metal-coated manjha can lead to tripping and even electrocution. Tripping of a single 33/66 KV line can disrupt power supply to over 10,000 consumers, he added.
Officials said tripping-related outages can take up to 2 hours to rectify. They pointed out that disrupting power supply and causing damage to power equipment is punishable under the Electricity Act and the Delhi Police Act.
Kite flying is an integral part of the Independence Day celebrations in Delhi but it can sometimes be hazardous, even fatal. The wide-spread use of metal coated manjha – being a good conductor of electricity – poses a great danger not only to the person flying the kite, but also to the electricity supply of an area.
Reiterating the need to be cautious while flying kites, a BSES spokesperson said, “People should enjoy kite flying, but they should do it responsibly. We advise residents not to fly kites near electricity installations, including overhead cables and certainly avoid using metal / metal coated manjha.These two simple mantras will ensure safe I-Day celebrations.”
Last year, BSES area witnessed 28 instances of kite flying-related tripping.