Pune: Sinhagad Road Lift Tragedy Puts Spotlight on Delayed Safety Audits, Over 70% Miss Annual Safety Audit for 2025-26
Pune, 22nd May 2026: A severe shortage of manpower in the state electrical inspectorate has resulted in mandatory annual safety inspections remaining pending for nearly 70 per cent of the city’s lifts, even as complaints about malfunctioning elevators continue to rise across residential societies.
Official data from the state energy department showed that only 16,022 lifts out of Pune’s total 61,521 elevators underwent annual inspection during the 2025-26 financial year.
Officials from the electrical inspectorate said assistant engineers, who are responsible for conducting annual lift audits, are increasingly occupied with approvals and inspections of newly installed elevators amid rapid urban expansion and construction activity in the city.
Older lifts continue operating without timely safety audits, which increases the risk to users, officials said.
The issue has come under renewed scrutiny following the death of a seven-year-old boy who was trapped in a lift on Sinhagad Road earlier this week. Preliminary findings in the case have pointed towards poor maintenance and possible lapses in mandatory annual inspections.
