Power discom BSES has issued an advisory asking people in the national capital not to fly kites near electrical installations on Independence Day.
In a statement, the company said that the metal coated thread of the kite is a major threat as it is a good conductor of electricity. It not only poses a great danger to the person flying the kite, but may also disrupt electricity supply of an area. Each year, there are several instances on this count, BSES said.
“Even though disrupting power supply and causing damage to power equipment is punishable under the Electricity Act and the Delhi Police Act, there seems to be little consideration shown for the law as well as power supply,” it said.
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 or metal coated ‘manjha’.”
According to estimates, tripping of just one 33/66 KV overhead line can disrupt power supply to over 10,000 residents of an area and tripping of a single 11 KV line to over 2,500 residents. Each year, there are several instances of kite-flying related trippings.
Last year, there were 14 instances of kite-flying related trappings in BSES’ area.
“Keeping this in mind, in the run-up to the Independence Day, we have put our Operations and Maintenance teams on high alert to take care of any kite-flying related contingencies,” said the BSES statement.