The lift operator, whose name was allegedly misused in the forged documents, registered a complaint at the Bund Garden police station on Wednesday.Requesting anonymity, a resident told TOI: “We became suspicious because the contractor said he got the licence in just five days. Residents were told no such certificate was issued when they contacted the electrical inspector’s office.” The four-storeyed building has 16 flats — four flats on each floor.An official from the electrical inspector’s office said the matter was brought to the notice of the original operator whose name appeared on the forged document, as he could be held accountable in the event of any accident. The operator then lodged an FIR.Meanwhile, residents said many housing societies do not verify licences submitted by lift operators.Gita Society is among the oldest residential complexes in the Camp area and home to several senior bureaucrats and govt officials.Mazhar Chaudhary, a resident of the society, said, “We had objected to the lift installation, but owners of several flats in the wing did not pay heed. We examined the permission documents and found that the lift certificate was issued for a ground-plus-two-storey structure, whereas our building is a ground-plus-three-storey structure. It prompted us to verify the documents, which were found to be forged.”Himanshu Ajwani, another resident living in another tower, said all structures in the society were constructed between 1961 and 1963 and are classified under the C category as load-bearing structures. “It is unsafe to add any new structure, such as a lift, to these towers. However, the work was initiated without obtaining adequate permission from other society members and went on despite objections by residents living in the same tower,” he said.Nitin Suryawanshi, electrical inspector of Pune, told TOI that over 60,000 lifts are installed across the city. “The final completion certificate is mandatory before a lift can be operated. During recent annual inspections, we found 10 to 12 cases of fake licences and the matter was forwarded for appropriate action,” he said.He said that while annual random inspections are carried out, it is not possible to inspect all lifts in the city and several may be operating illegally. “Under the existing rules, we can cancel the lift licence if violations are found and recommend action against the operator. However, there is no other provision for further action. We cannot even disconnect the power supply of such lifts,” he added.Police have booked the contractor for forgery and cheating and other relevant sections of the BNS.
