• Source:IANS
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The Uttar Pradesh government is drafting a new law to ensure the safety of passengers using lifts and escalators in the state. The UP Lifts and Escalators Act, 2023, will make it mandatory for lift owners to provide third-party insurance, annual maintenance and registration of their vertical transportation systems. The law will also impose strict penalties for any negligence or violation of the rules.

The draft of the Act is currently under consultation with various stakeholders and departments and will be put in the public domain for feedback. The state government aims to table the Bill in the Winter Session of the Vidhan Sabha.

Additional Chief Secretary (Energy) Mahesh Kumar Gupta said, “Currently, inter-departmental consultations with stakeholders are on to discuss the draft. We are trying to ensure that the much-awaited Lifts Act becomes a reality in the next session of Vidhan Sabha.”

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He stated that poor maintenance was the main cause of most lift accidents and that they were trying to tackle this problem effectively by imposing strict measures, such as a prison sentence of up to three months or a penalty of up to Rs 1 lakh or both, for each violation as per Section 146 of the Electricity Act, 2003.

The proposed new law comes in amid an increasing number of lift accidents in the state, mostly due to poor maintenance and lack of safety standards. The Act will also empower the District Magistrates to take action against the offenders under the relevant sections of the CrPC and the IPC. The Electricity Safety Directorate will also monitor the lifts operating without a valid annual maintenance contract (AMC) through a portal.

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Special Secretary (Energy) Anupam Shukla said the Act will also have some special provisions for the convenience of differently-abled people using lifts and before preparing the draft, the state government has studied the Lifts Act of other states like Delhi, Maharashtra and Gujarat.