by THO
With the Lift Act bill tabled in the Uttar Pradesh assembly on Tuesday, residents of Noida, Greater Noida and Ghaziabad are hopeful of a speedy passage of the bill and said it was much needed to ensure the safety of high-rise residents.
The bill was drafted on the demand by residents, after numerous instances of lift malfunctions and collapses that resulted in death and injuries to many, were reported from the National Capital Region.
The bill makes it mandatory for developers to ensure rescue devices, emergency alarms and CCTV cameras, besides ensuring that proper norms are followed in the installation and maintenance of lifts. Once approved, Uttar Pradesh will be the 12th state to have a Lift Act.
Residents said it would positively impact the safety of residents in Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts, which are home to numerous high-rises.
On August 3 last year, a 73-year-old woman died after the lift she was travelling in malfunctioned and went into free fall at a high-rise society in Noida’s Sector 137.
On September 15, 2022, in a service lift malfunctioned at an under-construction site in Greater Noida West, leading to the death of nine daily wagers.
More recently on December 22, nine people working at an IT firm in an office space located at a high-rise commercial tower in Sector 125, Noida, were hurt after the lift they were travelling in fell from the eighth floor.
In this backdrop, residents said once the bill is approved, it should also apply to older buildings where lifts are already installed. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had, in principle, approved the bill in December.
Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh, who has been pushing for this act, had earlier said the CM had approved the draft while suggesting changes to ensure more accountability on lift installation firms in cases of an accident.
Rajiva Singh, president, Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Association (NOFAA), said, “This will be a step forward in ensuring ease of vertical living. It will help in streamlining lift operations and maintenance and also help in fixing accountability. All those responsible will have to make sure that guidelines are implemented in line with the Act. Proper checks and balances in the system will ensure the safety of millions of high-rise dwellers.”
Founder of the Federation of Apartment Owners Association and Ghaziabad resident Alok Kumar had filed a plea in 2015, seeking directions from the state to formulate and implement comprehensive regulations for the safe installation, maintenance, and licensing of lifts and escalators in private and government buildings.
“We have been fighting to get this Act since a long time, and several people have lost their lives in the meantime in lift accidents. We hope now the government will take it seriously and finally implement the Act in the state,” he said.
Amit Gupta, a resident of Sector 77, Noida, however, said it remains to be seen how the Act is implemented.
“We need to see how it will be implemented, especially in old societies where the builder has already handed over the society to the apartment owners’ association (AOA), after installing poor quality lifts that have regular issues. As of now, the responsibility is on the AOA,” Gupta said.
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