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Co-op societies seek relaxation after CHB simplifies process for installing lifts at its buildings
The lack of lifts in the apartment buildings causes major inconvenience to the senior citizens, especially those suffering from ailments
With the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) simplifying the process to install lifts in all of its multi-storey apartments, the demand for similar relaxation in the city’s hundreds of cooperative societies has also been revived.
Residents of the upper floor apartments at nearly all housing societies, most of which came up around 20-25 years back when there was no provision for the lifts in four-storey apartment buildings, are demanding installation of lifts in their existing buildings. The need has arised for allowing lifts whenever structural safety can be ensured.
In principle, the administration had given a nod for the same, but complicated procedures had kept the same from materialising on the ground.
Recently, a committee set up to examine the need-based changes in the CHB dwelling units suggested simplifying the procedure to get a lift installed by scrapping the mandatory requirement of taking no-objection certificates from all the allottees in a building.
Speaking about the need for lift in other societies, Surinder Bahga, an architect and member of the CHB board, said, “Life has become really very difficult for handicapped people, aged humans and pregnant ladies living on 2nd, 3rd or 4th floors. Residents are ready to pay, submit plans or to follow due procedure.”
The lack of lifts in the apartment buildings has caused major inconvenience to the senior citizens, especially those suffering from ailments.
“My father, a retired army officer, who could not walk and stand up himself had to go through excruciating pain as we lifted him up and took him from our fourth-floor apartment to the ground for his medical check-ups,” a resident of a housing society, who did not wish to be named said.
Bahga has also written a letter to the Union minister of home affairs, stating, “Some societies have even submitted plans for approval, but the Estate office is raising objections that housing societies have this objection or that objection. The case of lifts is lingering on for years. Housing Societies have been in existence for more than two decades. Residents are living there. Some minor objections like somebody building a temporary store in the balcony should not be made ground for not sanctioning lifts which is a separate case altogether.”
Notably, lifts are needed at housing societies as per provisions of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1998.
“Provision of lifts should be permitted immediately by delinking it from existing minor objections in the housing societies. Clear procedure for it should be laid down and mandatory requirement of NOC from all allottees should be abolished. Ground floor residents seldom agree with the need for lift with upper floor residents,” Bahga said.
