The ‘crash-landing’ of a lift on Friday night at Garuda Mall has put a question mark on the safety measures taken in elevators in multi-storey buildings.
When Deccan Herald interacted with a cross-section of society, many voiced dissatisfaction at the way in which elevators are being maintained/operated in high-rise buildings and lift operators. Of course, there were many who blamed the public for not going by the instructions of lift manufactures and ‘just piled into them”.
“I regularly visit malls in Bangalore. Visitors are just crazy and seem to be in a great hurry. I think elevators malfunction or slide down purely because of overloading. It is up to the visitors to follow the norms,” says D Stephen, a regular visitor to Garuda Mall.
Yogesh, a lift operator at the mall, said it was high time visitors behaved in a more responsible way. “Most visitors never listen to our requests. They even bash us up and get into the lifts, saying that they are in a hurry. Sometimes, they complain to our bosses. If we allow them in, then it immediately slides down. What should we do?” he asks helplessly.
Training
Some visitors to the public utility building stressed imparting proper training to lift operators, “many of whom here have no technical training. They will be helpless if a lift crashes down. They should prevent people forcefully entering.”
S Rooparani, a staffer with Otis, which manufactures elevators, observed each lift should have a list of dos and don’ts. Lifts should have audio or visual warning systems inside, she felt.
DAMAGE CONTROL MODE
Better late than never. A day after the lift ‘crash’, the Garuda Mall management on has decided to take more safety measures to prevent such incidents.
Mall MD B G Uday said that unmindful of the warning given by the operators, too many people got into the lift, which eventually led to its malfunctioning.
“We will appoint marshal-type of persons, who are physically well built, as operators so that they can stop forceful entry. We’ll direct him to switch off the buttons in the event of overloading,” he said.
Mr Uday said all elevators in the mall have shock absorbers and all are functioning without any hitch. “As a result of overload, the lift car sensed an error and went into correction mode to the lower basement and travelled further due to inertia after it hit the buffers (shock absorbers). This caused a jerk, which resulted in abrasion on the leg of one Mr Altaf. Nobody else was injured,” he added.
The Ashoknagar police have registered a case and are investigating. The elevators were functioning normally on Saturday.
BBMP Commissioner S Subrahmanya said the Palike would conduct an inquiry into the incident. “We will see how the lifts are being maintained and whether any agency was assigned their operation. Based on the report, appropriate action will be taken,” he added.