Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation warns people not to fly kites near Metro tracks

JAIPUR: Like every year, Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation (JMRC) has issued a warning to kite flyers living along the 9.25km Metro track (Mansarovar to Chandpole) as negligence could lead to electrocution near sites.
The JMRC issued a warning asking residents to fly kites away from the Metro corridor to avoid accidents as overhead wires carry 25,000 volts round-the-clock.
These live wires are placed at a height of 30 metres and kite flying in the vicinity of these 'death traps' can be fatal. The JMRC also claimed that there are instances where fatalities (kite-flying) have occurred near electrified rail sections in the country.
"The high voltage could easily travel through string (manjha) which contains metallic substance and electrocute the kite flyer. Such incidents have been reported in other parts of the country," an official said.
Kite string or 'manjha' also proved to be a nuisance for the Jaipur Metro. The power supply of the Metro has tripped many a times last year due to manjha. "Kite-flying in the city will get intense from now on and during Makar Sankranti (January 14) the skies will be dotted with a huge variety of kites.
Last year, Metro operations was hindered during the festival. Also, as more than 5,000 kites were tangled in the overhead wires, it was an uphill task for JMRC to make operations successful after removing strings from the high voltage lines, reads the press statement
The official added that a campaign since January 2 was initiated to educate people not to fly kites near the Metro corridor. "The JMRC staff has educated people in nearby surroundings in this regard.