BSES warns against flying kites near electrical installations

New Delhi: Power distribution company BSES has warned against flying kites near electrical installations as Independence Day celebrations approach.

Noting that kite flying is an integral part of the Independence Day celebrations in Delhi, the discom said that sometimes this "innocent and fun" activity can be "hazardous, even fatal".

"Flying kites in itself is not the problem, it's the metal-coated thread or manjha which becomes a real threat. 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 may also disrupt electricity supply of an area," it said in a statement.

Each year, there are several instances on this count. As India gears up for the 75th Independence Day celebrations, kite-flying activities may see increase on this momentous occasion, which may also witness increased kite-flying related incidents.

Further, disrupting power supply and causing damage to power equipment is punishable under the Electricity Act and the Delhi Police Act, it said.

A spokesperson of Reliance Infrastructure-led BSES said: "People should enjoy kite flying, but they should do it responsibly. We advise residents not to fly kites near electrical installations, including overhead cables and certainly avoid using metal or metal-coated manjha. These two simple mantras will ensure safe I-Day celebrations."

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 the 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," the spokesperson said.

Not just does electrical equipment get affected, the risk to life is a bigger danger of reckless kite flying. Moreover, if the entangled manjha happens to be metal-coated, it can even lead to electrocution of the kite-flyer, the spokesperson added.