Pune: A severe shortage of govt-authorised electrical inspectors in Maharashtra has raised serious safety concerns, with only a fraction of the state’s nearly 2.25 lakh lifts undergoing mandatory annual inspections.Meanwhile, govt’s plan to recruit 519 additional electrical inspectors remains stuck in the restructuring plan of the energy department awaiting administrative clearances, activists and retired public officials told TOI.The issue has come into sharp focus following a recent case filed in a lift crash incident in Talegaon Dabhade, wherein a man lost his life in Dec last year after a malfunctioning elevator plunged to the ground in a housing society after getting stuck between floors. Police have now booked the society chairman and other members for alleged negligence in maintenance, highlighting lapses in periodic inspection and safety compliance and bringing renewed attention to gaps in lift monitoring.Citizens’ groups and experts said the incident reflects a wider systemic problem in the state’s lift safety framework. Data shows that Pune alone has over 61,000 lifts, but only around 5,600 were inspected in 2025, pointing to a massive backlog in mandatory annual safety checks.“The checks are few and far between and unless there are adequate lift inspectors appointed, this is a gaping issue that needs to be addressed,” said a retired energy department official.Activists have also flagged that decentralisation of lift inspection responsibilities has added to the crisis. Electrical inspectors, who earlier focused on technical inspections, are now tasked with electrical inspections, lift inspections and accident investigations (electrical and fire), creating a heavy workload and reducing specialised oversight. This has weakened preventive safety mechanisms and led to a collapse in dedicated lift monitoring across cities, said citizens.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, during the state budget session, acknowledged the growing number of lift accidents in Pune and Mumbai, including incidents in Wagholi and Charholi, and admitted that current manpower is insufficient to monitor the rapidly increasing number of high-rise buildings. He informed the House that govt had approved creation of 519 new posts to strengthen lift inspection and safety enforcement across Maharashtra, as well as institution of a high-level committee to draft standard operating procedures (SOPs).However, citizens’ groups said these posts largely remain on paper as the energy department restructuring proposal is still moving between the state energy and finance departments, delaying recruitment and on-ground deployment of inspectors.Citizen activist Mohammed Afzal, who has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) on lift safety last year, said residents are often unaware of whom to approach for inspections or complaints. “Citizens are not aware where to contact for lift inspection. We are demanding a QR code or barcode system whereby simply scanning it, citizens or third parties can immediately lodge a complaint or request inspection,” he said.“I have been receiving complaints from societies where lift maintenance contractors are dodging societies and not attending to faults,” Afzal added.He said the energy department already has a 43-point defect checklist for inspections, and that engineers were expected to be deployed city-wise to monitor lifts. “Even as the CM has stated that a committee will be formed, there is a need to ensure that all stakeholders are involved in framing the SOPs and enforcement,” he said.Sources indicated that even after approvals, the recruitment and deployment of inspectors may take another 12-18 months, prolonging the shortage on the ground.Activists also criticised delays in implementing the Maharashtra Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walkways Act of 2017, pointing out that the state relied on the outdated Bombay Lift Rules of 1958 for years, slowing modernisation of safety norms.Urban safety experts said the energy department continues to function in a reactive manner, stepping in only after accidents instead of ensuring strict preventive inspections and accountability from housing societies and maintenance agencies.
