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New Delhi: Lift malfunctions are becoming increasingly common in India. Of late, several incidents of lift malfunctioning were reported from cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, Noida and Greater Noida. The point to be noted in all such cases is that all of them are metro cities, considered to be technologically advanced. People were left stranded and frustrated following such incidents. Here are a few such incidents and how ultimately those stuck reacted to the entire situation.
1. Woman stuck inside lift with family at Bengaluru Airport: In the latest incident of a lift malfunctioning, a woman recounted the horror of being stuck inside an elevator at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. The woman was reportedly at the airport with other family members to catch an international flight, when the lift they were in, stopped abruptly. In a post on social media, the woman claimed that she along with her family members, which included senior citizens, was stuck in the lift for close to 15 minutes.
She also complained that there was no emergency phone inside the elevator and all she could do was press the alarm button multiple times to draw the attention of the staff at the airport. She was also critical of the guards at the airport, who she claimed showed no empathy with her or other family members, once they were out of the lift. Later however the woman said that she received a call from the staff at the airport, seeking an apology for the situation she was made to suffer. They also asked her for suggestions to improve the condition of the lift.
2. Lift falls in South Delhi building: In a shocking case reported from South Delhi's Paryavaran Complex, 2 men were left seriously injured after the lift malfunctioned and fell down in the building. The incident happened in December 2024. There were 3 people inside the lift, when it reportedly fell from the fourth floor of the apartment complex. Before falling,the lift stopped for a few seconds, said those in the know of the incident.
3. Lift malfunctions in Noida: In a shocking incident reported from Noida, an elderly woman lost her life after a lift malfunction. This incident happened in August 2023. The 73-year-old woman reportedly suffered a heart attack after the wires of the lift snapped suddenly. The woman also suffered minor injuries to her hands and elbow after falling inside the elevator. The incident happened in Paras Tierea society located in Sector 137 of Noida.
Less than a year later in the same building a lift malfunction was reported. This was in May 2024, when 2 delivery executives and 1 elderly person was inside one of the elevators in the building. This time the lift shot upwards and came to a halt on the 25th floor of the building. Those in the lift were reportedly going to the ground floor, when they experienced a jerk and the lift started to move upwards. The doors of the lift were also jammed when it finally halted.
In Jne 2024 another lift in another society in Noida reportedly malfunctioned. Two women househelps were trapped inside the lift at the Jaypee Greens Wish Town, in Sector 134. They were reportedly rescued after 1 hour.At the time, the lift doors were jammed and could be opened only after the maintenance staff from the lift company arrived on the scene and used a special key to open it. In this case though a phone was provided in the lift to seek help, it was not functioning. Those inside were forced to shout their lungs out to seek the attention of people to help them.
In a case reported from Noida Sector 125, 9 employees of an IT firm which works out of River Side Tower in the area were injured when the lift they were in crashed 8 floors. This incident happened in December 2023.
Following several incidents of lift malfunctions in Uttar Pradesh, especially in Noida, the government came up with rules. The UP Lift and Escalator Act 2024, was passed to regulate and provide registration of the construction, building, installation, maintenance, and safe working of lifts and escalators and of all machinery and apparatus pertaining thereto in the State of Uttar Pradesh.
However compliance with the law remains a major problem in the state. There is a lack of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms are not robust enough. In several cases, police complaints have also been filed. The management and lift operators (company) are often the ones named in such complaints. Complaints can be filed under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (Section 2(1)) in case of lift malfunctions, apart from the UP Lift and Escalator Act.
