LIFTS IN DDA FLATS
(An article published a few years ago in the oldest publication of Vasant Kunj)
Residents across Vasant Kunj have welcomed the DDA decision to simplify norms and sanction installation of home lifts.
The Senior Citizens’ Welfare Association (SCWA) was abuzz with excitement when I walked in one morning, with members exchanging information on this issue, which touches the quality of their everyday lives.
One could see the glimmer of hope in them as they discussed how several seniors living on higher floors, who were almost ‘trapped’ in their homes due to old age-related health problems, can now get a respite.
SCWA, at the behest of its dynamic President Mrs. Janak Taneja, has been requesting the civic authorities to grant permission on the issue since April 2006 and as more and more seniors faced health issues, the matter always stayed on top of its priority list.
“Vasant Kunj being a self-financing housing plan, a majority of original allottees put in their life savings into buying a house. It’s tragic that after investing all savings, in old age – one gets stuck in the house because of mobility issues,” laments Wg. Cdr. S. Raj (retired), a senior resident of Vasant Kunj who has been spearheading the cause of lifts on behalf of the SCWA.
“There has been a barrage of calls made to us at the SCWA since this latest DDA notification and we are making all efforts to facilitate all senior members and other residents of Vasant Kunj with a single-window operation in installing viable lifts that are space saving and safe for residents,” he says.
The kind of meticulous research on home lifts that he seems to have done over these 8 years would have easily fetched him a Doctorate on the Subject.
In a series of conversations with the VKI&S, Wg. Cdr. Raj lauded the sincerity with which the concerned DDA official perceived the urgency of a fair humane decision on the issue and the promptness with which the recent action was taken on the matter. “The credit goes to the SCWA and to each and every individual who has pursued the matter and thought about it on a long-term basis,” he said.
He himself has initiated work on the installation of a home lift in his block. That’s very promising!
His choice? Well, after all these years of research, he has zeroed in on a home lift that is space-saving, modern and safe.
He has been following the installation of the first lift of its kind in DDA flats in Alaknanda some five years ago and the person behind its installation- Mahender K. Rustagi.
Mr. Rustagi has worked for OTIS for 25 years and has in-depth knowledge on home lifts in its entirety, informs Wg. Cdr. Raj.
The choice of lift? “A single-phase modern steel structure home lift with swipe card-accessibility. Safe, space-saving, easy to maintain and with a power backup,” says Mr. Rustgi. “This easy-to-operate lift needs no machine room, is big enough to accommodate a wheelchair and being a single-phase one, is low on energy consumption,” he explains.
What’s the backup plan in case of an emergency? “This lift has power backup and a built-in ‘Automatic Rescue Device (ARD)’ he informs, stating that in case of a power failure, this system enables the lift to travel to its destination floor and in case of getting stuck due to any unforeseen reason, it can be brought to the nearest floor by a procedure that is well explained to the users by our company.”
Speaking about the cost of such a lift, Mr. Rustgi informs that the entire operation would cost Rs. 15.5 lakhs + taxes, as in December, 2014, for a block of 8 flats. “Now with the latest DDA notification, an application by 50% of six flat owners in a single block is required to go ahead with this plan,” explains Wg. Cdr. Raj.
Click Here to see the latest photos of lifts installed in Vasant Kunj
Once this application is sent in with the required documents to the DDA, it may take upto 45 days for a “NOC” to be given for the go-ahead, he informs.
“Installation of a lift of the kind Wg. Cdr. Raj has chosen would take some 8 to 10 weeks,” stated Mr. Rustgi.
You may contact Wg. Cdr. Raj on 9810734723 or meet him with an appointment at the SCWA office at the B-ll Community Center, opposite the B-10 CSC market.
For the official DDA notification, you may google: Policy regarding NOC for installation of Lift in Group … – DDA and get to the latest notification with all details on the matter.
– Chitra Singh,
Executive Editor
Vasant Kunj Informer & Shopper
(Courtesy VKIS)