Lift and Escalator Act, 2024: Key Compliance Insights in Uttar Pradesh
- Registration Status: 12,600 consumer registrations completed, covering around 16,000 lifts since October 2024; over 80% of registrations are from Noida alone.
- Sector Participation: Housing societies lead with 8,370 registrations; commercial buildings 2,763; individual houses 318; industrial units 102; government buildings remain low.
- Manufacturer & AMC Registration: Only 87 lift manufacturers and 98 AMC agencies registered, highlighting limited supply-side compliance.
- Legal & Safety Requirements: Mandatory registration of all lifts before installation, existing lifts to be registered within six months, automatic rescue devices (ARDs) required, and annual maintenance certificates must be uploaded.
- Enforcement Challenges: Awareness gaps in tier-two and tier-three cities; stronger district-level monitoring, inspections, and outreach campaigns needed to improve compliance statewide.
\It has been nearly two years since the implementation of the Lift and Escalator Act, 2024, and the ground reality in Uttar Pradesh reveals varying compliance levels of different districts with the requirements. Noida is the most proactive in registering, whereas the rest of the state is considerably far behind.
According to government figures, as many as 12, 600 registrations of consumers have been done so far covering approximately 16, 000 lifts that were individually registered since the launch of the e, portal for registration in October 2024. Under the Act, there are compulsory timelines along with clearly defined penalties. Still, officials confess that compliance is limited to a few highly urbanized areas, especially in Noida.
The state government made the registration portal available to the public immediately after the notification of the rules in July 2024. It was intended to support the registration of public, private and government lifts and escalators, besides holding manufacturers and annual maintenance contract (AMC) agencies responsible for their commitments. Nevertheless, the way the registrations are spread across the map shows an uneven level of compliance.
“More than 12,000 entities or individuals have already registered their existing lifts on our portal,” said GK Singh, Director, Electricity Safety. “The response from organised housing sectors has been encouraging, but we need stronger participation from other segments.”
Noida Leads, Other Districts Trail
According to officials in the electricity safety directorate, over 80% of total lift registrations have been recorded in Noida alone. This is attributed to its dense high-rise development, proactive real estate developers, and relatively stricter enforcement by local authorities.
“Of the total 12,600 lift registrations completed so far, over 80% are in Noida alone,” said Alok Mishra, Nodal Officer in the Directorate. “Lucknow, despite being the state capital, may have fewer than 1,000 registrations. Other districts are even further behind.”
The skew highlights the uneven pace of regulatory implementation. While Noida’s vertical growth and active housing societies have responded swiftly, several districts appear to be operating outside the regulatory net, either due to lack of awareness or limited enforcement at the district level.
Officials concede that district administrations play a critical role in driving compliance. Without active follow-up, inspection, and local-level awareness campaigns, the law risks remaining under-implemented in large parts of the state.
Housing Societies Drive Compliance
Category-wise data indicates that housing societies account for the bulk of completed registrations.
• Housing societies: 8,370 registrations
• Commercial buildings: 2,763 registrations
• Individual private houses: 318 registrations
• Industrial units: 102 registrations
The dominance of housing societies reflects the structured nature of apartment complexes, where resident welfare associations (RWAs) and developers are more likely to respond to compliance directives.
In contrast, industrial participation remains notably weak. With only 102 industrial registrations recorded so far, officials believe that many factories and private facilities operating lifts may not yet be registered under the Act.
Government establishments also form a relatively small share of registrations:
• Central government buildings: 164
• State government departments: 175
• Public sector undertakings: 344
Excluding government buildings, completed applications stand at 11,926, underscoring that compliance is largely driven by private entities — primarily housing societies — rather than state institutions.
Limited Manufacturer and AMC Registrations
On the supply side, the numbers are equally modest. So far:
• 87 lift manufacturers
• 98 annual maintenance contract (AMC) agencies have registered under the Act.
Given the scale of vertical construction in urban Uttar Pradesh, these figures suggest that a significant portion of the ecosystem may still be outside the formal compliance framework.
“With thousands of lifts estimated to be operational across the state, the current figures indicate that implementation of the safety law is still at an early stage,” a senior energy department official said as per HT. “Stronger enforcement and wider public outreach are needed, especially since lift-related accidents continue to be reported intermittently.”
Legal Framework and Safety Provisions
The Lift and Escalator Act, 2024 mandates registration of all lifts and escalators before installation. Existing lifts were required to be registered within six months of notification of the rules in July 2024. Delayed compliance attracts penalties.
Key provisions under the rules include:
• Mandatory registration before installation
• Compulsory registration of existing lifts within six months
• Registration of AMC agencies with the director of electrical safety
• Installation of automatic rescue devices (ARDs)
• Annual upload of maintenance certificates
The installation of automatic rescue devices is a significant safety feature. ARDs ensure that passengers are safely evacuated in the event of power outages or mechanical failures — a recurring issue in several districts.
Financial obligations under the Act include:
• ₹5,000 registration fee per lift for public and private installations (renewable every five years)
• ₹25,000 annual renewal fee for manufacturers per lift
• Government lifts exempt from fees but not from registration
Public and private establishments must upload annual maintenance certificates on the portal each year, reinforcing ongoing accountability rather than one-time compliance.
Enforcement Challenges
Officials admit that awareness gaps remain, especially in tier-two and tier-three cities. Many private building owners may either be unaware of the law or waiting for direct enforcement notices before initiating registration.
“Compliance improves when district administrations actively monitor and issue reminders,” an official said. “In places like Noida, enforcement has been visible. That momentum needs to extend statewide.”
The gap between estimated operational lifts and registered lifts indicates that the state is still in the early enforcement phase. Experts argue that periodic inspections, random audits, and public safety campaigns could significantly boost registration rates.
Public Safety Implications
Inarguably, the law served as a hurdle for the government to deal with intermittent lift accidents, some of which were even fatal. Rampant urbanization and a large number of high, rise buildings have led to more and more dependence on vertical transportation, and hence regulating activities is imperative.
However, without a thorough registration and maintenance record, the government officials will have a hard time locating old devices, unlicensed operators, or instances of missed servicing.
Uploading digital registration and maintenance documents symbolize a change in the safety governance towards a more systematized method. Nevertheless, the success of the legislation finally hinges on uniform execution across different areas.
Way Forward
About two years after the enactment of the law, lift safety in Uttar Pradesh is still a case of different facets, well, organized compliance in the fast developing urban areas like Noida, but there is a lag in other parts of the state.
Officials point out that the system is now in place, but the issue at hand is how to disseminate awareness to a wider audience, upgrading the district, level law enforcement, and the industrial and state sectors interacting with housing societies being as responsive.
While vertical constructions keep emerging in cities such as Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, and Varanasi, the state's capability to enforce uniform compliance will be a determining factor whether or not the Lift and Escalator Act, 2024 turns out to be a strong safety tool or just an unevenly implemented piece of legislation. At the moment, the figures indicate advancement but the advancement is largely one, sided one.
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