Buy light strings only of firms registered with BIS

THE word ‘Deepavali’, originating from the Sanskrit words ‘Dipa Avali’, denotes rows of traditional earthen diyas lit during the festival of lights. However, Deepavali or Diwali has now become synonymous with rows of tiny LED lights decorating houses.

These may not give the traditional ambience, but are cost-effective, convenient and last for years. But, on the flip side, selling of sub-standard decorative strings of lights, re-use of damaged strings and, above all, lack of consumer awareness about the safe installation and use of these lights have resulted in many unfortunate accidents, some of them even fatal. In most cases, the victims are children.

We do not have an accurate data on shocks, fires and deaths caused by these decorative lights, particularly in smaller towns and villages. In fact, shocks and minor burns are not even reported to the police. But what appears in the media is enough to cause concern. These lights have caused fatal accidents not just during Diwali, but during other festivals and celebrations as well.

On September 25 this year, two children were electrocuted by a faulty decorative light string at a Durga Puja pandal in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. In August, five-year-old Muhayudeen was electrocuted by a string of lights hung on the grills of the verandah of his house in Kannur, Kerala. Just before Christmas last December, 14-year-old Stephen in Beltangadi, Karnataka, died while fixing decorative lights for the festival.

On the night of October 29 last year, five- year-old Sagar was electrocuted by the colourful electric lights strung from the roof of his house in Radha Vihar, Delhi, while playing on the terrace. The same night, 18-year-old Abhilash met a similar fate in Hyderabad when he reportedly touched a high-tension wire while decorating a hotel building with light strings.

A day before that, three persons, two of them minors, were electrocuted while hanging a series of lights on a building. An iron ladder that they were dragging for the purpose accidentally touched an overhead wire, resulting in the tragedy. In November 2023, two children aged nine and 12 received burn injuries in Vasant Kunj Enclave, New Delhi, due to electric shock from the decorative lights hung from the top of their house.

Given the fact that these lights are an extremely popular item bought by almost everyone, it is imperative that only safe lights are sold. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has, in fact, made it mandatory for these lights to conform to the norms of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) — IS 10322 (Part V/Section 7) covering ‘lighting chains’ and IS 10322 (Part V/Section 9) covering ‘rope lights encased in translucent pipe’.

The standards prescribe electrical and mechanical safety and strength, including protection against electric shock. As per the BIS website, 246 manufacturers have the required registration at present for rope lights and 577 for lighting chains. These include Indian as well as foreign manufacturers. Unlike the ISI Mark Scheme, the Compulsory Registration Scheme for electronics and information technology goods requires self-declaration by manufacturers for conformity with the standards. MeitY does the market surveillance of these products to ensure their compliance with declared standards.

However, in the absence of consumer education, there is no awareness about compulsory standardisation and this only helps unscrupulous manufacturers to produce/import and sell sub-standard, unsafe lights.

While consumers are usually familiar with the ISI mark used under the ISI Mark Scheme, they are generally not aware of the blue and red insignia used to denote products under the Compulsory Registration Scheme. If consumers are to benefit from the mandatory standardisation, there must be proper consumer education.

Meanwhile, it would be a good idea for consumers to check the names of registered companies, so that they can only buy their products. If you go to the BIS website, bis.gov.in, and click on the ‘Conformity Assessment’ icon — you will see the ‘Registration scheme’. Under that column, if you press the ‘Registered manufacturers’ tab and type the name of the product, you will get the list of all the manufacturers whose registration is active, as well as those whose registration has been cancelled or has expired.

Since these strings are often re-used year after year, consumers must carefully examine them for damage such as frayed wires, broken insulation or plug, before use. Throw away those that are not in a good condition. It is also extremely important to ensure that they are hung far away from power lines.

To fix them on surfaces, use only plastic fasteners. Never use metallic nails as they can damage the insulation and create a shock hazard. Hang them securely so that they do not fall on someone. Never place them where children may accidentally touch them or trip over them. Also, keep them away from water sources. Never overload the circuit by plugging in too many strings into one socket. Make sure that the plugs fit snugly into the socket.

Have a happy and safe Diwali!

— The writer is a consumer affairs expert

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