Mumbai: To bring in a law that deals with accidents related to elevators, escalators and walkalators, the State government will replace the existing Maharashtra Lifts Act, 1939, with the Maharashtra Lifts, Escalators and Walkalators, 2017 Act. The Bill is expected to be tabled during the Legislative Assembly’s winter session in Nagpur. It has received the approval of the State Cabinet, which has also given its approval for the 1939 Act to be repealed.
Arvind Singh, Principal Secretary (Power), told The Hindu that the draft Bill has been prepared after consulting all stakeholders, including government officerss, private companies and service providers. “The Bill is the need of the hour, as there is no provision in the existing statute to deal with accidents in connection with escalators and walkalators.”
The Bill proposes to increase the license application fees for lifts, escalators and walkalators. The existing Act provides for installing and operation of lifts, but technology powering them has advanced, and it lacks the mechanism to deal with them. “The new law is being brought in to upgrade the Act and match present needs.”Mr. Singh said.
The new Act will be linked with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which gets updated as technology advances. State Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the draft Bill was prepared to match the standards set by Indian institutions, so it won’t be necessary to change the Act frequently due to technology upgrades. It will also make third-party insurance mandatory in the event of mishaps, and fix a ‘mechanical life’ for lifts, escalators and walkalators.
In cases of mishaps due to elevators, the police usually charges lift operators, building administrators and manufacturers with negligence under relevant sections of the IPC.
