the goan I network
MARGAO
As the incident triggered an uproar with Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao taking up the issue with TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai, who also expressed his concern over the episode, South Goa District Collector Swapnil Naik called for an explanation and sought a report from the lift maintenance
operator.
Two separate incidents of the lift developing a technical snag came to light on Thursday morning when some tourist taxi operators were heading to the fourth floor of the building to attend a meeting with TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai. The incident occurred at around 10.30 am when around 14 persons, including the tourist taxi operators and a TV channel cameraman, had just entered the lift to go to the fourth floor of the building for a meeting with the TCP Minister. A tourist taxi operator, Roque Fernandes, claimed that they were stranded inside the lift immediately and there was no one around to come to their rescue. “There was no liftman inside, and neither was the alarm siren working. What aggravated matters further was the fact that we could not communicate to the outside world for want of mobile network,” he recalled. “Since there was no help forthcoming from anyone, we sought divine intervention before the lift suddenly landed in the basement. We opened the lift using our car keys,” Roque complained.
Tourist taxi operator from Varca, Alerio Fernandes, who felt suffocated after being stranded in the lift for well over half an half, later complained of uneasiness
Additional Collector Rancon Pereira, however, told the TCP Minister and Churchill Alemao that there was power failure in the Collectorate building only for a couple of minutes, adding that the lifts in the Collectorate are not manned by any personnel since the recruiting society has recalled all the workers.
In the meantime, District Collector Swapnil Naik personally inspected the lift to seek firsthand information on the episode. He said that he has called for a report from the supplier to ascertain the exact situation. “The lifts are not manned for the moment because the recruiting agency has given the annual break in service. However, we want to find out how the lift could not move when there was a back up generator. I personally found the alarm bell operating when I inspected the lift,” he added.
