JOIN USLack of regular maintenance and safety measures caused the elevator mishap at SJR Group Tech Park, Mahadevapura police have said.
“We have sought a detailed report from the Electrical Inspectorate to ascertain the cause of the accident. The Inspectorate will conduct an investigation, including technical and mechanical issues, and submit the report within three days. We will take further action after receiving the report,” said the Mahadevapura police inspector.
The officer said authorities of KONE India, Bangalore, responsible for maintenance of the lift, had failed to discharge their duties. ”It’s sheer negligence on the part of the elevator company. Police will take suitable action against them,” said a senior police officer. KONE, however, refuted the charges.
On Wednesday, police summoned KONE India higher-ups and the staff concerned for interrogation. They also took them to the tech park and inspected the accident spot. The maintenance staff claimed they regularly serviced the lift.
According to KONE officials, their staff had serviced the lift on Monday, which was a holiday. “Everything was fine and functioning properly, including the wires. We can’t be blamed for negligence, the officials told the police. Police also questioned the authorities at SJR Group Technology Park over the elevator maintenance.
Operator not available
It is said the lift operator was not available on Tuesday and those who entered it themselves managed to come down. They said they were shocked as they did not know what to do immediately when the lift started descending at rapid speed. If it is true that the operator was not available, then it is an offence. Police are verifying the statements and will take appropriate action, an officer said. According to Ravi Kumar (name changed), a tech park employee who was injured in the mishap, the elevator was ‘out of order’ on Tuesday morning, a few hours before the accident occurred.
Recuperating after an orthopaedic procedure at a private hospital, Ravi told Deccan Herald the lift had problems frequently ever since he joined the company two months ago.
“My colleagues and I normally use the staircase to go to the mess located on the seventh floor. On Tuesday, we decided to take the lift as one of our colleagues complained of pain in his leg. And to our bad luck, it collapsed,” he said.
Ravi said the lift was not over-crowded as reported in a section of the media.
“There were just around 15 persons in the lift. Those standing close to the door suffered serious injuries. These included my colleagues and me. It took more than 25 minutes for help to reach us and even longer to rescue us from the lift,” he said.