The High Court of Chhattisgarh has initiated a suo moto public interest litigation concerning the prolonged non-functionality of lifts in a multi-storey government composite building that houses numerous departments. The bench noted, with serious concern, that disabled government employees were being compelled to climb multiple flights of stairs — in one case using crutches — because the lifts had remained out of order for months, creating extreme physical hardship and violating standards of accessibility and dignity.
According to a newspaper report the Court relied on, the elevator in the building had been non-operational for approximately six months, with a new lift still under installation due to work delays, while the existing lift stood dormant. In the meantime, the building, comprising three floors and approximately seventytwo stairs, accommodates around 250 government employees and an equal number of daily public visitors. Highlighting the human-rights angle, the Court pointed out that four differently-abled employees posted in the building were forced to navigate the stairs daily, including one labour inspector who used crutches.
The Court observed that government rules and accessibility mandates require functional lifts, ramps, wheel-chair facilities and safe access in public buildings — especially when differently-abled persons are in occupancy. It regretted that no temporary arrangements had been made on the ground floor to mitigate hardship, and basic amenities such as drinking water were reported as deficient, forcing employees to pool funds to procure water. Given that the building was constructed in 2013 at a cost of about ₹ 8 crore, the situation was characterised as a “deeply concerning state of affairs” by the bench.
To address the issue, the Court directed the Secretary of the Public Works Department of the State to file a personal affidavit stating (among other things) the current status of repair of the existing lift, reasons for delay in making the new lift operational, a timeline for bringing both lifts into service, and specific steps proposed to ensure full accessibility and basic amenities in the building. The Court listed the matter for the next hearing and emphasised that senior officials must take responsibility and not defer accountability to subordinate officers.
The order of the High Court underscores that public authorities must ensure that infrastructure in government buildings complies with standards of accessibility, particularly for disabled persons, and that administrative lapse in providing functional lift access undermines the right to dignity and equal access to works-paces. It signals that the judiciary will intervene in cases where public infrastructure fails vulnerable employees or citizens due to inaction or neglect.
The matter is now pending further proceedings.
0 Comments
Thank you for your response. It will help us to improve in the future.