A day after a lift collapsed in an apartment in Frazer Town injuring four women, the investigation has found that the lift was being operated without requisite permission from the Department of Electrical Inspectorate.
A team from the Electrical Inspectorate, which visited the site, told the police that the apartment owner had not obtained permission from the department concerned and also that the lift was not maintained properly. Though the building owner had obtained approval for installation, he had not obtained a licence for its operation from the Department of Electrical Inspectorate, the investigation revealed.
The hydraulic lift was installed around a year-and-a-half ago. It operates from the ground floor to the three floors above. The owner had obtained approval for lift installation from the department and the work was executed by a private agency. However, the agency suspended the work midway due to a financial dispute with the building owner. The work was completed by a local vendor, who is not registered with the department, at the behest of the owner.
The owner did not obtain a licence from the department for operation of the lift, the team that investigated the incident found.
A preliminary probe also revealed that the lift equipment was poorly maintained.
The Pulakeshinagar police have booked the owner of the apartment under Section 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code. “We are yet to question the building owner, who is claiming to be unwell and undergoing treatment in a private hospital,” police said.
Tanushree, one of the victim of the lift accident, has undergone multiple surgeries. Other victims Akshara and Falaq Patel are recuperating while the fourth victim was discharged from the hospital, police added.
