The duo allegedly received no help from the administrative authorities during the ordeal.
Congress spokesperson Suresh Rod and businessman Baljit Singh, who were trapped inside a building lift at the Mini Secretariat in Gurugram for 45 minutes on Friday, have sought damages worth Rs 25 lakh each from the district administration, according to a report by The Times of India.
The duo was visiting the Geographic Information System (GIS) Division of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) to meet a few government officials.
According to the report, Singh and Rod took the lift to reach the third floor but got stuck on the second floor.
The duo allegedly received no help from the administrative authorities during the ordeal.
related news
“The lift doors were of steel and were not easy to open. We shouted for help, but to no avail. We then called the head of the GIS, who immediately rushed to the spot along with his team”, Rod said.
With the help of the GIS team, the duo managed to prise themselves out of the lift.
A legal notice had been served to the Haryana government through the district collector and the Public Works Department (PWD) secretary, seeking compensation within a period of two months.
“If the compensation is not paid, we would approach a court of law to file legal proceedings against the authorities concerned”, Singh said.
He added that it was the duty of the district administration to maintain the lifts in the government building and ensure safety and security of its users. Out of the two elevators in the building, one is defunct. The onus of maintaining the elevators is on the PWD.
Speaking about the matter, Rao Narbir Singh, PWD minister, said, “This is a serious matter and directions will be issued to examine the elevators and ensure they are in proper working condition. This is the first such incident that has come to our notice and the lift’s contractor has been asked to examine the elevator and submit a report within two days.”