BENGALURU: A freak accident that injured four young women from Hyderabad on Sunday has raised concerns over the safety of lifts in Bengaluru. According to experts, no periodic checks from the government and the lack of proper maintenance of these elevators is the major reason for these tragedies.
“We get requests from establishments seeking maintenance for the elevators they have installed. When we visit the place and ask for details we realise that many of them don’t even have proper licence,” said a senior official from a reputed elevator company. However, the apartment owners associations in Bengaluru claim they ensure that every month they have a maintenance person come in and check.
“We cannot risk anyone’s life. We make sure that all the lifts in every block are properly maintained. We even collect maintenance charges from residents and pay attention to complaints,” said Suresh Kumar, manager of apartment maintenance team in Malleswaram.
However, many in Bengaluru feel lifts are definitely not maintained properly. “We must not forget what happened in May when six people were injured at an apparel store in Kammanahalli. The lift’s cable snapped and plunged from the second floor of the multi-storeyed building. Owners might claim that it is safe but only when it is surveyed will you know the true maintenance,” said Saraswathi Rangaraj, a resident of JP Nagar said.
When TNIE contacted the Department of Electrical Inspectorate, Deputy Electrical Inspector-Manual, C N Usha said checks are done only once every year. “Though there are many checks done before issuing a licence to the company, periodic checks are done only once a year. We also suggest that the apartment owners and other business establishments ensure that they hire services from authorised, licenced lift operators and maintenance companies,” she said.
THERE ARE RULES FOR ELEVATORS TOO
Housing expert and lawyer, Mamatha M says that elevators in any residential, commercial and industrial buildings need to be installed as per requirements laid down by the Development Control Regulation rules prevailing at the time of execution of a project. The number of elevators shall depend on the number of flats and the number of floors in a building. The type of elevator would also vary depending on the premises. She also explained that in case of accidents, the managing committee will be responsible if the lift is not serviced at frequent intervals. If it is maintained but still meets with accidents, then the rule states that the maintenance company will be punished for the crime.