Delhi Metro organises public awareness campaign on consequences of kite flying near metro tracks

New Delhi, Aug 11 : The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) this week successfully completed its month-long awareness campaign to educate general public and children on effects/consequences of kite flying near metro tracks having 25KV OHE lines. The campaign was carried out in schools and colonies around the Delhi Metro’s newly built Mukundpur Depot, where trains are kept for the upcoming Majlis Park to Shiv Vihar Line and trials are underway in the nearby section, which is elevated, a DMRC spokesperson said today. This extensive community outreach campaign was organised from July 8 to August 10 to sensitise the local communities/public and school children with a view to avoid any incidences of flashover on the 25000 Volt Over Head Equipment (OHE) which may take place due to kite strings, especially metallic/Chinese manjha and may prove fatal besides damaging the Metro system/property. The campaign reached out to over 5000 children of Government and private schools and thousands of residents of the nearby colonies like Mukundpur, Kewal Park, Rameshwar Nagar, Majlis Park, Adarsh Nagar, Jahangirpuri, etc, through Nukkad Nataks (street play). Professional agencies with reputed actors were roped in to perform the plays. A mobile exhibition with creative display of awareness messages regarding dangers of Kite flying was one of the major highlight during the weekends of the campaign period. Standees/banners and pamphlets were also distributed and displayed at schools and important locations in the surrounding area to get everyone’s attention on the subject. The campaign period was chosen keeping in mind the fact that during the month of July every year, kite flying picks up and reaches its peak by August 15. Thus, a campaign during this period was bound to get registered in the minds of public/children so as to avoid any untoward incident or damage/disruption to Metro system. The Delhi Metro has always been actively involved in these kind of social campaigns in the past too. Last year, DMRC successfully completed a three year long ‘Nukkad Natak’ (street plays) campaign called ‘ABHYAAS’ to spread awareness about construction site safety and etiquettes among the workers at its construction sites. It was probably the world’s largest face-to-face direct communication campaign among about 50,000 grassroots construction workers. Delhi Metro also organises puppet shows at many schools, metro depots, residential colonies of the DMRC network to spread awareness about travelling etiquettes in Delhi Metro among children. UNI