38 lifts present in the 11 residential towers of the society are lying in a shambles due to the lack of effective maintenance.
The elevators of Shipra Krishna Vista, an apartment complex in Indirapuram, have been a cause of concern for the residents of the society for over eight years now.
Residents complained that 38 lifts present in the 11 residential towers of the society are lying in a shambles due to the lack of effective maintenance by the builder's maintenance agency and they lack basic facilities such as light, fan, CCTV cameras, floor mats, indicators, cleanliness, and an SOS alarm system among others.
On several accounts, the elevators have endangered the lives of numerous residents, who were trapped inside due to the accidental jamming of the doors and were only rescued after a tedious struggle by the society's security guards and other residents.
"In a recent incident, a man was trapped in a passenger lift of Bock A around 11 pm, said Mohit Mittal, general secretary of the society's AOA. "Lack of light, fan or an alarm in the elevator made it incredibly difficult to detect him but the guards heard his voice and ran for his rescue. The doors were suddenly jammed and could not be opened easily. Similar incidents have also happened in the past. What if a child is trapped in a similar situation sometime? These incidents can be fatal."
"The man was extremely scared and this has got us worried even more," added Mittal.
The AOA members said the absence of two service lifts in towers D and E of the residential society, which make transporting heavy furniture through passenger lifts relatively dangerous which can also lead to sudden collapses. Deficiency of service lifts have complicated the act of garbage disposal through passenger lifts, as residents are forced to encounter foul odor emanating from domestic waste. "The service lifts are meant for the domestic purposes such as carrying milk, garbage and for transporting furniture or any other miscellaneous things. In their absence, the garbage is sent for disposal through passenger lifts which stinks and has become a serious issue. The heavy furniture can also prove to be dangerous to the interiors of the lift too," said Deepak Jalan, vice-president of Shipra Krishna Vista.
Residents also claimed that to cover the open shafts, makeshift arrangements such as plywood boards mounted on the entry points of both the lift shafts, thus increasing the risk of accidents.
The matter was raised in Allahabad High Court by the society residents in 2015 and the court had directed the builders Shipra Estate Ltd to deliver the pending work by April, 2017.
Mittal said, "The absence of lifts is an old issue. The maintenance agency 'Kone', who are also the elevator manufacturers, used to visit for inspection every two-three months and even issued certificates of safety, but no improvement in the elevators were seen. The builder collects almost Rs 20 lakh monthly from over 900 flats for maintenance charges, but I wonder what was that money is used for?"
"How can the maintenance agency inspect 38 lifts in one day and still issue safety certificates," he added.
However, the commissioning of the two absent service elevators has begun and within the next two days, a quality and safety inspection team will be visiting the society to submit their findings, said Kulbhushan Talwar, a representative of Shipra Estate Ltd.
"These people have a habit of making unnecessary fuss. The maintenance team of Kone has been regularly visiting the society and safety checks were being made. Since it's machinery, sometimes accidental hiccups occur, but nothing as major as the elevator collapsing to the ground has happened so far and won't happen as well. We have told the society's AOA about the two service lifts as well," he added.
