A tragic incident in Mumbai’s Borivali on Saturday claimed the life of 30-year-old Shubham Dhuri and left another injured after a car-parking lift collapsed during installation at an under-construction site. Dhuri was working on the lift when the accident occurred. This marks the third similar incident in Mumbai in three years — with one death in Vikhroli in January 2023 and two serious injuries in Khar in March 2024.
Car-parking lifts are vertical hydraulic systems designed to optimise parking in land-scarce cities like Mumbai. As urban land parcels shrink, real estate developers increasingly opt for these systems to maximise space usage under limited floor space index (FSI). These lifts are also being used in public projects, with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) building a 194-vehicle facility at Hutatma Chowk and a larger one in Worli.
According to BMC’s 2012 guidelines, developers must include lift systems in the building’s original plans, gain approval from the Development Plan (DP) department and Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB), and undergo inspections post-construction. Safety checks include platform dimensions, hydraulic functions, and emergency controls.
However, experts like former MFB chief Hemant Parab point out a major loophole: unlike passenger elevators, parking lifts lack mandatory annual maintenance contracts and state inspection protocols. This leaves maintenance solely to developers or housing societies, increasing the risk of failure.
Officials stress the urgent need for stricter regulations to ensure routine checks and accountability, especially as vertical parking becomes a norm in urban housing projects.
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