No compromises on maintenance

Three recent incidents where people got stuck inside lifts in commercial spaces and residential apartments have starkly brought out the vulnerability of elevator users.

 Today, many residents are convinced that even the most premium of residential housing societies can have the most faulty lifts when not maintained properly.Irrespective of the status of apartments, residents have to shell out anything between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,500 towards monthly maintenance charges which include lifts, swimming pools and other amenities. Salila, a resident of Chitrakut Environ, Basavanagar, has this to say: “Once or twice, the power tripped and I was in the lift and it took at least a minute or more for the power backup to switch on. But those few minutes are the most scary.” “Thankfully, the lifts in our apartments are maintained properly and are checked and certified every month by the company personnel. But as a precaution, in a commercial building I avoid taking lifts as most of these are not checked regularly,” she notes.

Y S Sailaja, a resident of Sri Sai Enclave, BTM second stage, once had a bad experience of getting stuck in her apartment lift. “It is very important that the lifts are maintained properly as it could be a matter of life and death for someone who is stuck inside. We make sure that the children never take the lifts alone and are always accompanied by elders. As a precaution, I always keep my mobile phone with me whenever I step inside a lift,” she says. 

In her Society, the Association ensures that the lifts are maintained regularly. “But, there have been times when the lift door opens midway before reaching the floor for which you have pressed the button. So as a precaution, magnets have been put to ensure that the lift doors do not open until it reaches the appropriate floor.”

There have been occasions when the emergency alarms do not function or the guard is not present near the lift. “Sometimes, even the mobile networks are not available in certain lifts. In these cases, it is very important that the lifts have the intercoms or a fixed line phone from where at least the person who is stuck can call for help,” points out Sailaja.