Pune housing society’s separate lift for domestic workers sparks debate, splits netizens

While some were irked and said the notice must be taken down, others tried to defend it saying it would have been discriminatory only if the helps were asked to use the stairs instead of the lifts.

By: Trends Desk

New Delhi | Updated: May 8, 2022 10:02 AM IST

5 min read

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Many argued it's not just in Pune but it's a very common practice around the country.

With high-rise buildings becoming more common in India, the debate about segregating lifts for domestic workers keeps resurfacing on social media. The latest one is from Pune, where a notice asked all pets, domestic helps and service personnel to use only the lift assigned to them. The notice has gone viral reigniting the debate over discrimination against those who provide services.

In a photo shared by a Twitter user, Sandeep Manudhane, the notice stuck outside a lift door read, “House maids to use lift C or D only”. Another poster adjacent to it further specified, “Milk man, newspaper and courier distributor, laundry person, labourers, painters and pets are to use only lift ‘D’.”

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Irked by the notice, Manudhane opined, “Segregating humans comes naturally to Indians,” adding that the picture was taken at one of the biggest and poshest housing societies of Pune.
https://twitter.com/sandeep_PT/status/1522112507522936832
As the tweet garnered a lot of attention, many argued that it was not a one-off instance from Pune but a pretty common practice in cities across the country. While some were irked and said the notice must be taken down, others tried to defend it saying it would have been discriminatory only if the helps were asked to use the stairs instead of the lifts.

Many argued that the house helps were usually advised to take such service lifts because they stopped on every floor and such frequent stops would inconvenience people who reside on higher floors. Many others said while it was okay for such segregation to minimise contact between residents and others in view of the pandemic, others said it had been a common practice for years now.
https://twitter.com/__yogesh007/status/1522782217130299392

https://twitter.com/faguettipasta/status/1522307769474314243

https://twitter.com/neelufisherman/status/1522252737110364160

A similar poster that went viral earlier this year, which was from Hyderabad, had said people failing to follow the rule would be fined.

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