Uttar Pradesh Assembly Passes Lift and Escalator Bill, 2024

LUCKNOW, UTTAR PRADESH: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly, on Saturday, passed the Uttar Pradesh and Escalator Bill, 2024 which will, among other things, make registration mandatory for lifts and escalators to be installed in public spaces. Specifically, once the bill is signed into law, it will be mandatory for agencies that manufacture and install lifts and escalators to first register themselves with the Directorate of Electrical Safety. The same applies to agencies contracted to maintain lifts and elevators. 

This registration will have to be renewed every five years, with provisions for testing every year and a fee of Rs 1,500 for the same. Additionally, any failure on the part of the owner or institution concerned in regard to getting repair and maintenance work done on lifts and escalators will result in a fine being imposed. 

Speaking on the lift and escalator Bill, Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma said that after an incident in Noida, MLAs Dhirendra Singh and Pankaj Singh had demanded that a law be made for lifts and escalators.

Describing the Bill as the need of the hour, Sharma also said that states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and Haryana have their own laws for installing lifts, but there was no such provision for it in Uttar Pradesh.

He said that its implementation will not only curb accidents but will also strengthen the system.

BJP member Dhirendra Singh, who was instrumental in pushing for the bill to be made and adopted, expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Energy Minister Sharma for bringing the Bill and said it would be a "milestone".

However, Samajwadi Party members Dr R K Verma, Amitabh Vajpayee and Kamal Akhtar talked out the "shortcomings" of its draft and demanded that it be handed over to a select committee.

Vajpayee said that it has not been made clear as to who will give the insurance, who will give the compensation and the data of accidents due to lifts so far has not been given. He alleged that the bill had been prepared in haste.

The energy minister clarified that all provisions will be made in the rules.

With inputs from PTI.