It is learnt that smoke coming out from one of the lifts of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) building in Panaji city created panic among its occupants on Friday. Most of the staff working in the building reportedly used the stairway to run out to safety as the alarm bell rang.
There have been several instances when the elevators in government buildings have developed technical snags and the lift with occupants stopping mid-way. As a result of this the general public are put to great inconvenience. Getting stuck in a lift can be a very scary experience. If there is a cardiac patient in the lift which has stopped mid-way the consequences can be disastrous.
Elevators in government buildings need to be properly maintained by the company that has installed it. There needs to be a standby power generator for the elevator in case there is a power failure. In case the lift stops midway due to a technical snag there needs to be a system by which the elevator can be mechanically moved by hand-operated device and the door opened so that the occupants of the lift can escape.
