Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS)
Bengaluru, Jul 29: A lift which runs in an open shaft without any grills crushed a painter, who was painting the wall on which it runs, to death.
Two owners of the apartments in the Rajeshwari Apartment of Malleshwaram, on whose behest the elevator was illegally installed in the building, have been booked by the police for criminal negligence. They have been identified and Somashekar and Sheshadri.
In addition, the role of H V Raja, owner of Bhaskara Advanced Automation, which manufactures custom-built material handling systems and personal lifts for differently-abled, elderly and sick people, is also suspected in this crime.
The unfortunate painter who lost his life in the accident is Venkatesh (53). He was painting the wall on which the elevator runs. One of the residents in the building got into the elevator in order to reach the ground floor. Venkatesh, who was concentrated on painting the wall, did not see the approaching lift and got crushed under it.
In total four residents live in this apartment building. However, the police did not book case on two families who reside on the ground floor as they do not use the lift.
Raja, the owner of the company, which installed the lift in the said building, said in his defence that he has installed the elevator after obtaining due permission and certificate from concerned authority. However, the officials of the electrical inspectorate, who conducted spot inspection, said that the elevator was installed illegally. Any building that needs an elevator should include the same in their building plan, they said. In this case, neither the real estate builder approached the electrical inspectorate nor made any provision for the same in his building plan.
The Malleshwaram police have assured that they will serve a notice to the builder of this apartment to do away with the elevator or get the same regularized after obtaining necessary permission. The police also said that they will inquire further on this company to check whether they have installed similar elevators elsewhere.