New Delhi: Thousands of people across the city faced outages due to over 50 incidents of tripping of power transmission lines due to the use of Chinese 'manjha' (kite string) in celebratory kite flying on the occasion of the Independence Day, officials said on Friday.
The maximum number of tripping incidents due to the use of Chinese manjha in the north Delhi areas, discom officials said. "Chinese manjha" is the popular street name for metal-coated kite string that is imported from China.
Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) supplying electricity to the north Delhi areas reported no kite-flying induced tripping incidents at the sub transmission level, said a spokesperson of the discom.
"However, 49 interruptions were reported at the 11kv level, affecting around 25,000 customers," she said.
The discom has been actively urging people to enjoy kite flying responsibly. A special safety advisory video was shared by the discom advising citizens not to fly kites near electrical installations and avoiding use of "metallic Manjha" for it, she added.
The other discoms BRPL and BYPL reported six such trippings, said a spokesperson of the BSES.
"To raise awareness about the dangers of flying kites near electrical installations, BSES had launched a comprehensive campaign. This includes social media posts, interactions with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and newsletters aimed at sensitizing consumers about the risks associated with metal-coated manjha," he said.
Although its use is banned because of incidents related to neck injuries faced by commuters, specially two wheeler riders, as well as the birds that fly into loose 'manjha' of detached kites hanging from poles and trees, the product is easily available in the market despite action by the police and other authorities.
The metal coated strings cause tripping once it comes in contact with electric lines. Tripping of a 66/33 KV power infra can cause interruption in the homes of more than 10,000 people. Around 2,500 consumers are impacted due to tripping of a 11 KV line, discom officials added.