Prompted by complaints that enough skilled people were not available to maintain and repair lifts,which in turn led to frequent mishaps,the state government is taking steps to include lift-installation and maintenance in the Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) syllabus. The subject will be started in ITIs across Maharashtra and a draft bill will be introduced in the winter session. Revealing the plan,Chief Engineer,(Electrical),Public Works Department,Suresh Valekar,on Friday said the government will tighten laws governing lifts in view of frequent mishaps and look into complaints from citizens about inability to find experts to fix lift problems. Valekar had headed a committee of experts appointed by the government to inspect condition of lifts across the state. During our inspection across Maharashtra,residential society members complained they had to repeatedly summon lift contractors to repair lifts,but the problem resurfaced after a couple of days. Besides,lift-repairers are not easily available,resulting in lifts remaining non-functional for days. These were common complaints across the state, said Valekar. Valekar said the committee proposed there should at least be one subject on lifts in engineering degree and diploma courses. Besides,in ITIs run by the state government,there should be a course for lift erectors and lift maintenance mechanics, he said. The committee,he said,strongly believed this was the only way to ensure enough experts are available to compete for contracts. This means experts will have to ensure quality. And in the process,citizens will have a wider choice of picking the right person for the job, he said. He said countries like Sweden had such a system in place. We are going to borrow their syllabus on lift erection and maintenance, he said. There are 86,000 lifts in commercial and residential societies and hotels in Maharashtra. Of these,74,000 are in Pune and Mumbai. Welcoming the move,Atul Goel,a prominent builder in Pune,said,It is an excellent move which will help residential socieities to keep lifts functioning longer. He denied lift companies were not currently doing a proper job. The lift job has increased manifold. Maybe because of work pressure,lift repairs are not done on time. Goel said residential societies are also themselves to blame for bad lifts. In many societies,children use lifts to play. Besides,it is rarely possible to find a liftman in a residential society. Lift operation is very sensitive,which many do not understand until some mishap happens, he said. Valekar said the state government has decided to create mass awareness on lift safety. Valekar said the Bombay Lift Act,1939 and the Bombay Lift Act Rules,1958,do not contain provision of any jail term for those responsible for lift mishaps. We are planning to introduce a six-month jail term for contractors,builders and chairmpersons of housing societies in case of lift mishaps, he added.
