The district administration may have finally woken up to the need to repair defunct elevators at the collectorate that has been, for years now, a towering nightmare for those with hindered mobility.

The G+5 building at Kutchery Chowk, built in 2009, is divided into two blocks. Each boasts eight elevators, but of the total 16 at least 12 are officially out of order. Unofficially speaking, only one elevator in Block A is operational.

Insiders said they had long been demanding a maintenance budget from the state government and had recently received a corpus of Rs 25 lakh, which would be “used on priority basis to fix the lift service”.

Najazat deputy collector Rajesh Kumar Singh, responsible for upkeep of the collectorate, said they were planning to soon invite tenders for annual maintenance of the elevators.

“Not all 16 lift are defunct. Some are working. As far as I know, 12 are out of order. We will soon float a tender. Also, each elevator will be manned for the convenience of visitors,” Singh said.

Lila Devi limps her way up at Block B of Ranchi district collectorate in Kutchery Chowk on Friday. Picture by Manob Chowdhary

Built primarily for disaster mitigation, the district’s largest public office currently hosts chambers of the deputy commissioner, deputy collectors, SDO, SSP and SP, besides the records rooms, foreign cell and Pragya Kendra. It has a work force of 700 and witnesses a daily visitor footfall of 2,000.

People who come to the collectorate often for various services remained sceptical about the promised measures.

“Most of these lifts have been out of order for as long as I can remember. The ones that work are equally dicey. You never know when they might get jammed. Last year, four of us were stuck in one of the lifts for 30 minutes before we were rescued,” recalled Manoj Kumar, a resident of Harmu.

Lila Devi, who is physically challenged, was at the collectorate on Friday to submit a driving licence application for her daughter. Unfortunately for her, the transport department office is on the fourth floor of Block B.

“Lifts do not work here and there is no ramp. Imagine my torment. Climbing four-five flights of stairs is not easy for people like me. I hope the promises being made this time are not as hollow as before,” said the Chutia resident.