CHENNAI: The residents of TT Block in Vyasarpadi's Sathya Moorthi Nagar staged a road blockade on Sathya Moorthi Nagar Main Road on Tuesday morning as most of the elevators were out of order, forcing them to use the stairs.
Reports of 16 people getting stuck in the lift on two incidents since Monday night, and prolonged power cuts of over 16 hours have aggravated the situation.The 13-story Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) building has 480 housing units, with more than 450 families living there. The block features six elevators. The keys were handed over to the residents in May 2022. With conditions being normal in the first few months, many elevators soon became non-functional, forcing hundreds of families to rely on two to three lifts.
M Rani, a senior citizen, shared her woes of living on the seventh floor and taking on stairs, which became a herculean task for her. "On Monday night, five people were stuck in the second lift and were later rescued. Then, on Tuesday morning, another 10 people were stuck," she said, adding that there had been a power cut since 10 pm on Monday, forcing them to sleep on the veranda. "We urge the officials to restore the power supply," Rani said.
Frustrated by the situation, several residents gathered and blocked the Sathya Moorthi Nagar Main Road for close to an hour, affecting hundreds of office-goers between 9 am and 10 am.
S Sridevi pointed out, "The first lift lacks lights, and it jerks every time before reaching the ground floor. Out of six, only two to three lifts are working. To avoid waiting for a long time, too many people crowd into them."
"Three lift operators sit at the entrance, but they won't direct people on how to use the lifts. Furthermore, no one is available after 8 pm. Appointing a night-shift operator would be incredibly helpful, as residents fear using the lifts at night," said Yogesh, another resident of TT Block.
An official from Division 2 of the TNUHDB stated, "Due to power demand and fluctuations, the power supply was suspended at TT Block on Monday night, and the trapped residents were safely rescued. The lifts will be maintained properly. We will terminate the current workers who are lethargic and consume alcohol during working hours, and replace them with new personnel."