MUMBAI: All under-construction buildings that want to instal escalators or moving walks will need a licence issued by the government, failing which they will not get an Occupation Certificate. Installation of lifts already requires a licence. The move comes in the wake of a new policy approved by the state cabinet on Tuesday to regulate lifts, escalators and moving walks.

The policy also makes it mandatory for existing buildings that have escalators to obtain a licence in retrospect. So far, there was no regulation to monitor escalators, hence, in case of an accident, responsibility could not be fixed on anyone as there was no provision in the Act. Current norms do not have a provision to compensate accident victims. The new Act will have provision of the ‘mandatory third party insurance’ of the lift or escalator .

There are about 25,000 lifts and escalators in Mumbai, said an official. Also, the maximum life of a lift will be fixed so that accidents are curbed. An official said the licence will be valid for a year and need to be renewed every year after inspection.

There will be a licence fee, which is yet to be finalised. The policy also mentions that if it comes to the notice of the energy department, which is overseeing the issue, that a lift/escalator has been installed without a licence, then the owner of the company and the owner of the building or society management will be held responsible in case of any accidents.

Officials in the energy department said after an incident in Noida, in which a child died after her legs were stuck in an escalator, the Centre asked all states to look at putting regulations in place. Officials said many other states have already formulated a policy. The new Act will be tabled in the winter session in December; once approved, it will become a law.

