Independence Day 2024: The Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC), on Sunday, issued a kite flying advisory and advised citizens not to fly kites near metro lines passing through residential areas.
Kite flying has been a popular tradition in Delhi-NCR as part of Independence Day and Raksha Bandhan celebrations. Against this backdrop, the DMRC has issued a kite flying advisory to avoid potential hazards that could occur due to kite strings getting entangled in the 25,000 voltage live over head equipment(OHE).
“Delhi Metro, which presently operates a network of almost 400 KM in Delhi-NCR, is primarily elevated with 25,000 voltage live Over Head Equipment (OHE) wires running parallel to the tracks for powering the trains for daily passenger services,” said the corporation on social media platform X.
Kite strings getting entangled in the OHEs can be hazardous to both the kite flyers and commuters.
“As the kite flying gathers pace around 15th August, there is a very likelihood of kite strings getting entangled in the OHE wires or getting stuck in the pantograph (equipment which draws power from OHE) of a moving train if the kites are flown in the vicinity of elevated Metro lines. Such incidences have the potential to not only disrupt the Metro services by damaging/tripping the OHE or pantograph but may also prove fatal to those flying kites with metallic maanjha,” said the DMRC.
The DMRC stated that it has planned to deploy teams near “kite-prone stations to swiftly remove the kite strings as and when spotted.”
Such a move comes amid ensuring the safety of passengers and uninterrupted metro services.
