Around two years after Uttar Pradesh enforced the Lift and Escalator Act, 2024, compliance remains uneven as registrations are heavily concentrated in the Noida region and uptake is limited across much of the state, including the state capital.
Official data shows that 12,600 consumer registrations have been completed so far since, covering around 16,000 individual lifts since the government launched an online registration portal in October 2024.
“More than 12,000 entities or individuals have already registered their existing lifts on our portal,” GK Singh, director, electricity safety, said.
Rules notified in July 2024 mandated registration of all existing lifts in six months with the provision for penalty on delayed registration.”
However, public housing societies lead the compliance while large sections of the private, government and commercial segments lag behind and officials admit that the majority of these registrations are from the Noida region alone.
“Of the total 12,600 lift registrations completed so far, over 80% are in Noida only,” Alok Mishra, nodal officer in the electricity safety directorate, said.
“Lucknow, may have only less than 1,000 registrations.” He also said district administrations had a greater role in making lift owners comply with the rules.
Category-wise figures reveal that housing societies account for the bulk of compliance, with 8,370 registrations, followed by commercial buildings (2,763). In contrast, individual private houses have registered 318 lifts, while industrial units account for only 102 registrations.
Government establishments form a small share of the total. Central government buildings have registered 164 lifts, state government departments 175, and PSUs 344. Excluding government buildings, total completed applications stand at 11,926, highlighting that compliance is largely driven by non-government entities—primarily housing societies.
On the supply side, registration of service providers has also been modest, with 87 lift manufacturers and 98 AMC agencies registered under the Act so far, a number considered low given the scale of vertical construction in urban Uttar Pradesh.
Officials acknowledge that while Noida’s real estate density and stricter local enforcement have driven higher compliance, large parts of the state remain largely outside the regulatory net.
“With lakhs of lifts estimated to be operational, the current figures suggest that implementation of the safety law is still at an early stage, calling for stronger enforcement and wider public outreach given the fact that lift accidents continue to be reported off and on,” a senior energy department official said.
The UP government, in October 2024 launched an online portal (www.updeslift.org) for the mandatory registration of public, private, and government lifts, following the enactment of the state’s Lift and Escalator Act and its accompanying rules.
The registration process aims to ensure that lifts and escalators across the state meet safety standards, with mandatory inspections by the state government.
As per the rules, lifts and escalators cannot be installed without registration. An online application must be submitted for registration after installation and commissioning. The registration must be completed within six months (from the date of notification of rules) for any existing lifts or escalators in the state.
Also, annual maintenance agencies must register online with the director of electrical safety. The rules also mandate that lifts be equipped with automatic rescue devices to ensure the safety of people in case of a power outage or malfunction, enabling their rescue during emergencies.
The registration fee is ₹5,000 per lift for both public (malls, etc.) and private (houses, apartments, etc.) lifts, with a renewal every five years. Manufacturers must pay ₹25,000 per lift for annual renewals. Public and private lifts are also required to upload proof of annual maintenance on the portal each year. Government lifts are exempt from the registration fee, but registration is still mandatory for them.