A family of three including a 10-year-old boy was reportedly trapped in a malfunctioning elevator at the Mapusa Sub-Registrar office on Saturday night.
Mapusa police and Fire Department personnel responded to the emergency. However it took nearly two and half hours before technicians from the elevator company managed to rescue the family safely.
It is learnt that there was a sudden short circuit and the power supply went out. After a few minutes the power supply was restored, but the lift stopped working. If there was a heart patient trapped in the lift, who needed emergency medical attention, things could have taken a turn for the worse.
It must be said that hundreds of citizens, including elderly and differently-abled persons use the elevator in government offices as they attend to their official work. These elevators need to be periodically maintained in order to avoid any untoward incident.
The elevators in government offices also need to mandatorily have a back-up power system so that the elevator remains functional even in case there is power failure. Such incidents should not occur in future in the government offices which puts the lives of citizens at risk.