Hyderabad: The Telangana government is set to table the proposed Telangana Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walks Act, 2025, before the Cabinet, months after the High Court flagged delays in framing a law to regulate lift safety in the wake of frequent accidents.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy approved the draft on June 25, and it will be sent to the Cabinet for consideration once cleared by the Law Department, before being tabled in the Assembly.
The Telangana High Court had on Tuesday, June 30, expressed displeasure over the delay in enacting a law to regulate the safety of lifts and escalators in the state, and directed the government to file a fresh affidavit on its progress.
The court was examining an affidavit filed by the state government pursuant to its earlier order dated June 18, which set out the status of the proposed Telangana Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walks Bill.
While the court noted that some progress had been made on the draft legislation since its previous direction, it observed that the affidavit did not indicate a timeframe by which the safety regulations or the law would be brought into force.
The government informed that the proposal would need to go before the state Cabinet for approval before it could be taken up further in the legislative process, which the court chided over the pace at which the matter was being pursued, observing that any delay in bringing such a law could endanger public safety.
Mandatory registration, annual inspections proposed
Among its key provisions, the draft law makes registration mandatory for companies manufacturing lifts and requires every lift, escalator and moving walk installed in buildings and homes to meet prescribed Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) norms. It also provides for annual safety inspections by government-appointed inspectors and stipulates that maintenance be carried out only by recognised technicians and agencies.
The draft also allows consumers to approach consumer forums against companies that supply faulty lifts.
Andhra Pradesh had passed a similar law, the Andhra Pradesh Lifts and Escalators Bill, 2025, in March last year to create a legal framework for the registration, installation, maintenance and safe operation of lifts and escalators in that state.
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