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Another day, another snag: Six people get stuck as two LDA apartments report lift malfunction in a day
In the first incident, five people got trapped inside a lift for 15 minutes when the lift in Parijat Apartments in Gomti Nagar stopped working mid-way.
LUCKNOW Despite multiple complaints, technical snags in lifts continue to compromise the safety of residents in high-rise Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) apartments. On Tuesday, the state capital reported lift malfunctions in two LDA buildings -- including Parijat Apartments and Sargam Apartments.
In the first incident, five people got trapped inside a lift for 15 minutes when the lift in Parijat Apartments in Gomti Nagar stopped working mid-way. Those who got stuck in the lift included three people above 70 years of age and two others above 50 years of age.
“The incident took place around 8 am when the residents were going up. Half-way through the course, the lift stopped working and the people got trapped. Soon, the elderly started feeling breathless. Their condition was getting worse by the minute,” said HR Tiwari, a resident in the building.
Finally, after 15 minutes of maneuvering, people trapped inside the lift were rescued by one of the maintenance workers, Jaleel. He somehow opened the lift door,” said Samar Vijay Singh, secretary of the Parijat welfare society. Blaming the LDA for such incidents, he added, “A tragedy is just waiting to happen. Such incidents happen due to poor construction and poor maintenance.... There is rampant corruption in the LDA.”
In the second such incident reported from Jankipuram on Tuesday, a worker got trapped for 20 minutes in the Sargam Apartments’ lift. “In this scorching heat, the man remained inside the lift. Luckily, his phone didn’t lose signal. So, he was able to call us. Subsequently, we called the Johnson company operator, who then opened the lift with his key,” said Rishi Ranjan Shukla, a resident of the building.
WHAT LDA V-C SAID?
Speaking on the rising incidents lift malfunctions on April 18, LDA vice-chairman Indramani Tripathi had ordered the companies concerned -- Otis and Johnson -- to deploy trainee operators in the lifts. His statement came after glitches were reported in the functioning of lifts in LDA buildings like Shristi, Sargam, Smriti, Janeshwar and Parijat Apartments.
“On August 25, 2022, during an inspection in the Srishti Apartment, LDA V-C had promised the installation of intercoms in the lifts so that people in need can call for help. However, the responsible engineers/officers have not paid any attention to the task till date,” said Vivek Sharma, a resident of the Shristi Apartment.
TRAINEE OPERATORS TO BE DEPLOYED SOON
So far, only Shristi Apartments has operators for managing lift snags. Other buildings are yet to get lift operators.
Notably, Johnson Lift and Escalators, which looks after lifts in Parijat and Sargam Apartments, is managing over 1,400 lifts in 200 apartments in the city. When one of their engineers was asked about the development, he said, “Right now, the operators are in the training process. They will be deployed in apartments by the end of June. They are being trained specifically to handle such situations.”
On being asked about the reason why lifts are becoming dysfunctional, he added, “Construction activities are one of the biggest reasons why lifts are becoming dysfunctional. When some pebbles or stones block the doors, it tends to malfunction.”
