Kite wire threat to power supply becomes bigger
LUCKNOW: Kites flown with steel wires are now posing increasingly greater threat to electricity supply in the city, with three substations suffering prolonged power cuts within the last week when their transformers and main lines tripped after kite wires fell on them.
There have been 10 major and 31 minor breakdowns within the last three months due to the kites wires, and twice, the feeder has tripped in Chowk area when kites got entangled with power transmission lines.
“We can only appeal to the people not to use metal wires or fly kites near our transformers. While flying kites, they should not come near electrical installations at all, as it can result in major power failure,” said Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam consultant Satnam Singh.
“In areas l i ke C h ow k , Nakkhas, Rajajipuram, Balaganj, Thakurganj and Victoriaganj there have been a number of breakdowns that could have been avoided. Power supply in these areas is constantly under threat because of kite fliers who use metal wires. Streets are narrow in the old city, so kites are flown close to the transmission lines and get entangled with them, which leads to tripping. Last Sunday, Chowk and Rajajipuram areas faced more than eight hours of power cuts as a metal wire kite fell on the main line,” he added
In addition to power cuts, the kites had caused huge losses to the Lucknow Electricity Supply Authority, officials said.