Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh Power Transmission Company (MP Transco) has raised an urgent alarm over the serious dangers posed by Chinese manjha, which has repeatedly caused accidents and major power disruptions in Indore. To curb these risks, the company is launching a special “Roko-Toko” awareness campaign aimed at alerting citizens about the hazardous consequences of flying kites near transmission lines with Chinese manjha.
According to MP Transco executive engineer Namrata Jain, Chinese manjha has caused 13 major power interruptions in Indore’s transmission network over the last two years. Each incident occurred when the metallic-coated thread became entangled with high-voltage lines, resulting not only in outages but also in significant damage to critical transmission infrastructure.
Why Chinese manjha is extremely dangerous
Unlike traditional cotton thread, Chinese manjha is made with conductive and abrasive materials, making it capable of carrying an electric current if it touches live transmission wires. This puts kite flyers, bystanders and utility workers at severe risk of electrocution. Its strength and sharpness also increase the likelihood of accidents involving people, birds, and two-wheeler riders.
Awareness campaign to prevent accidents
As part of the “Roko-Toko” campaign, MP Transco will directly reach out to citizens in areas where kite flying is most common. Posters, banners, and public-address systems will be deployed to spread large-scale awareness and prevent potentially life-threatening incidents as well as widespread power outages.
Sensitive areas identified
The locations in Indore most prone to incidents involving Chinese manjha include:
Limbodi, Musakhedi, Khajrana, Mahalaxmi Nagar, Sukhlia, Gaurinagar, Banganga, Tejaji Nagar and Nemawar Road. These zones will be the primary focus of the awareness drive.
