The Noida Authority has decided to allow the installation of lifts in three and four-storey buildings for the convenience of the elderly – almost 8 years after a proposal related to this was made by a committee.
According to the current building rules in the city, lifts are mandatory only if buildings are taller than five floors.
Officials said residents had been approaching the Authority for several years with a request to allow lifts in buildings taller than three storeys.
“Current rules make it mandatory for multi-storey buildings to have lifts, but there was a relaxation for apartments up to 4 floors so far. It’s because of this that old buildings in the city – both of the Authority or private developers – do not have lifts in them. Over the past few years, many elderly residents had approached us with applications for lifts in buildings that are more than three floors tall. They had been finding it difficult to climb stairs on a regular basis,” an official said.
It was in 2015 that a committee headed by the then additional CEO of the Noida Authority had proposed the installation of lifts in small buildings. But the plan was never put into action.
A fresh inquiry led officials to the 8-year-old proposal. It was put up at the last board meeting in December and was approved later.
However, the Authority has laid down a few terms and conditions. The applicants will now have to secure no-objection certificates from those living on the first and second floors and also take the permission of the local RWA and the fire department.
The applicants only will have to bear the cost of the installation. They will have to submit an affidavit to the Authority, attaching a detailed map of the block and towers that show the elevation and the nearby area.
After the application is submitted, a team of officials will carry out a survey of the buildings. The permission for a lift will be given based on the findings. There will be a licence fee too in keeping with the Building Regulations, 2010.
Over 35,000 flat owners in the city are expected to benefit from this move.
Yogendra Sharma, president of the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Association, said, “We welcome the Authority’s decision. There are many societies in sectors such as 52, 82, 35, 34 and 61 where the Noida Authority has constructed low-rise buildings without the provision of lifts. This is not a new demand. We have been asking for lifts for long.”
