Close shave for 3 ministers on lift

Thiruvananthapuram: Triggering panic, a ‘VIP lift’ at the legislature complex came down skipping one floor and forcefully landed in the cellar with three ministers and six others in it.

While Food and Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob suffered a minor sprain on his legs, Industries minister P. K. Kunhalikutty, PWD minister V.K. Ebrahim Kunju and the others, including the personal staff of the ministers and lift operator, were unhurt.

The incident occurred around 8.50 a.m. when the Assembly adjourned for the day after suspending the normal schedules in view of Justice Krishna Iyer’s funeral.

The three ministers accompanied by their staff entered the lift situated close to the Speaker’s office on the first-floor of the legislature complex.

When the operators pressed the ground floor button, the lift, which was running at a speed of about 1.2 metres per second, stopped on the ground floor and the doors started to open.

All of a sudden, the lift again closed and it went down skipping -1 floor and landed in the cellar with a punch.

After landing on the spring bases, it bounced again. Mr. Jacob suffered a sprain in the impact, while the others managed to balance themselves.

The ministers’ personnel staff immediately forcibly opened the lift and the ministers left the place climbing the stairs without even waiting for medical aid.

While Mr. Kunhalikutty and Mr. Ebrahim Kunju went to the airport to board a flight to Dubai for some function, Mr. Jacob went to his residence, applied some medicine on the sprain and reached the office.

“We really panicked as we did not know what was happening. Even the wall-mounted telephone inside the lift fell down in the impact of the collision,” said the Industry Minister's private secretary Mr. S. Vijayakumar who was also in the lift.

The minister’s assistant private secretary Sahadullah, gun men of the three ministers and lift operator were the others in the lift.

Incidentally, the lift (No. 6) which is reserved for the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs, had undergone a major maintenance work last month and was issued fitness certificate by its manufacturer Thyssen Krupp and endorsed by PWD officials on November 29.

The same lift had even suffered a similar mishap about a year back while some schoolchildren, who came to visit the legislature complex, were in it.

It was even kept off service during the last session due to mechanical failure.

Immediately after the incident, the PWD officials at the legislature complex and technicians of Thyssen Krupp rushed to the spot and inspected the lift.

“So far the PWD officials could not find out the cause of the freak accident, though it was suspected to be due to brake failure.

The lift was subjected to major maintenance work last month and its motor and other spares were replaced and a fitness certificate was issued by PWD officials just ahead of this session last week,” said legislature secretary P.D. Sarangadharan.

The legislature secretary sought a report from Mr Unwin J. Antony, chief marshal at the legislature complex, PWD wing and Fire and Rescue unit at thelegislature complex.

An official of Thyssen Krupp said that there were no visible defects on the lift. “Our technicians had immediately attended the lift and they could not find any problems with the lift.

It even worked without any glitches after the incident. Anyway we are working on it,” said the official.