People who fly kites around electricity cables or hang clothes on power poles will soon face a penalty of up to 10,000 yuan (US$1,429), according to a draft law on power equipment management.

The Standing Committee of the Shanghai People's Conference released the draft law on Wednesday during its regular meeting.

Committee members will listen to a government explanation of the law today and then join a panel discussion about the legislation.

The law calls for the punishment of anybody who interferes with normal operation of power facilities.

For instance, flying kites within a radius of 300 meters of power cables will be forbidden, and it will be illegal to place advertisements or anything else on poles.

It will be also forbidden to fasten lines on power poles for hanging clothes or drying food.

Anybody who disobeys the law or builds an illegal structure near power equipment will be required to remedy the situation immediately or face a penalty of up to 10,000 yuan.

Construction companies who build structures near power equipment without government approval will face a penalty for up to 100,000 yuan.

In a recent survey of power supply facilities, Shanghai was found to have 155 potential safety problems which could cause a power cut or other damage.

"The city needs to have a better awareness of power safety," Mao Nianlong, an official of the Shanghai Electric Power Company, said Wednesday.

Officials said the improper use of construction cranes and errant planting of large trees could also threaten the safety of the power supply.

According to the company, the city has 252 major extra-high-voltage power transmission routes, totalling 3200 kilometers.

Government statistics revealed that the city had 898 accidents that caused damage to power facilities from 2004 to the end of 2007.

They also caused about 10 large-scale blackouts.

On February 27, a construction crane fell over while building an illegal structure below a power transmission cable in Fengxian District.

The accident caused the district to lose power for nearly three hours.

(Shanghai Daily April 24, 2008)