Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has conducted safety audit of only 400 lifts out of approximately 2,500 elevators operational in high-rise buildings in the city. This limited coverage raises concerns about the safety standards in old buildings, a factor highlighted by BMC's electrical safety department. 

According to department, the city currently has only 12 lift auditing engineers, six of whom are permanent. They have been tasked with conducting audits every six months.

This manpower shortage has hindered the ability to perform regular checks on all lifts, leaving significant number uninspected.  Department officials revealed that inspections are carried out only at the time of granting permission to install new lifts.

However, annual audit of lift operations are necessary to ensure continued safety. Despite this requirement, many building owners neglect their responsibility to go for safety audit.  The audit process involves depositing fee of ?2,000 for electrical safety checks. However, with the current pace of inspections, it may take considerable time to address the backlog of unaudited lifts. 

Ranbir Singh, additional municipal commissioner, told Free Press that operating a lift without completing mandatory audit process was against the rules. Though the newly constructed buildings often comply with these requirements, owners of old buildings frequently ignore them, he added.  To ensure public safety, we will soon launch a city-wide drive to verify whether building owners have conducted lift audits. Strict action will be taken against those found non-compliant, Singh stated. 

Five major accidents

Dec 2023: A labourer died due to lift falling in Kolar area. Three months ago, a lift fell into the basement in a mall located on Hoshangabad Road, which carried seven people. One of them suffered a knee injury.

2 years ago: Five people were injured as lift of a hospital located in Lalghati fell suddenly.

June 2023: In Shahpura, the lift in a complex broke and the lift fell directly from the fourth floor to basement. A young man was riding in the lift at the time of the accident.

3 years ago: A mechanic died after getting stuck in a lift while servicing the lift of a three-storeyed complex near Bharat Talkies.