The tragic lift crash which left eight construction workers died recently at Amrapali’s Dream Valley Phase-2 project in Greater Noida West, has once again exposed the faulty maintenance of lifts and the lax attitude of officials concerned. It has also highlighted the crying need for the implementation of the Lift Act by the ruling BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the construction workers at the Amrapali Dream Valley Phase-2 project, where the tragedy took place, they had complained about the faulty lift several times to their supervisors but no corrective measures were taken and in the end it resulted in the death of eight construction workers.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was briefed about the tragedy by the Gautam Buddha Nagar District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma. Adityanath directed Verma to take strict action against the culprits responsible for the death of the eight construction workers.
The District Magistrate visited the hospital where the workers were admitted after the mishap, along with the Police Commissioner and the CEO of Greater Noida Authority.
Later, Verma inspected the accident site with the officials concerned in tow, and ordered the sealing of the entire high-rise building project as the safety standards were being flouted with impunity and the lives of the construction workers were being put at risk callously.
The District Magistrate announced that the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) had decided to give a compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to the next of kin of the four construction workers who died on Friday.
On Saturday morning, four more construction workers succumbed to their injuries. Their families will also be provided compensation after discussions with the NBCC.
Verma said that an FIR against the construction company and several officials who are being held responsible for the deaths of the eight construction workers has been registered at the Bisrakh police station.
According to the police, a case has been registered under Sections 304, 308, 337, 338, 287, 34 and Section 7 of the Criminal Procedure Act.
An FIR has been lodged against General Managers of Girdhari Lal Constructions Harish Sharma, Rishabh Arora, Luvjeet, NBCC General Managers Vikas, Aditya Chandra and Mechanical incharge Rahul, Amarpali Dream Valley Site incharges Devendra Sharma, Sunil, Shailendra and other officials.
When the DM, Police Commissioner, Greater Noida Authority CEO and other top officials reached the accident site and initiated an investigation they found that despite it being a high-rise project, no safety net was installed for the safety of the construction workers nor was there any provision for first aid.
Apart from this, there was no adequate provision for safety belts and hard hats for the construction workers. To top it all, after the accident took place the ambulance, too, was not provided on time.
In fact, the families of the construction workers have alleged that the injured workers were taken to the district hospital in private vehicles and if there had been an ambulance at the spot, the lives of their family members could have been saved.
According to sources the accident took place as the lift was quite old and dilapidated and had broken down several times in the past due to technical faults. While riding in the lift, there was always a fear of accidents and loss of life.
This information was also given to the project officials but neither the construction company nor the NBCC officials paid heed.
Taking cognisance of the unfortunate incident Lokesh M, Noida Authority CEO, has issued instructions to all builders and Apartment Owners' Associations (AOAs) in Noida to take stock of the lifts in their buildings and get them serviced. He has said that a compliance report has to be submitted within a month.
Notices will be issued and action will be taken against those builders and AOAs who fail to comply with these instructions and submit their reports within the prescribed time period.
