A housing society in Hyderabad has landed in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. It had posted a sign regarding the the use of lifts, warning that house help, drivers, and delivery people who use the main elevator would be penalised, sparking an online controversy with many calling the policy “discriminatory.”
The warning, apparently from a society in Cyberabad, Telangana, stated in both English and Telugu, “If maids, drivers, delivery boys use [the] main elevator, Rs 300 will be fined.”
Harsha Vadlamani, an independent photojournalist, shared the image on Twitter, and it soon went viral.
Cyberabad, 2022. pic.twitter.com/4XrldTlEel
— Harsha Vadlamani (@Hrsha) January 12, 2022
While some were outraged and demanded that the warning be removed, others pointed out that it was a very typical practice in many places around the country.
This sort of mentality is highly condemnable. Residents should fight against such notices by errant RWA’s. Equality to these people is a punch line they use at parties. #shameful
— Karuna Sagar IPS (@KarunaIPS) January 13, 2022
While some defended the warning, claiming that it was put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19 by separating persons coming in from the outside, others argued that “the same cook going up in a service lift will enter the kitchen to cook.”
This is a crime under Section 7 (c) of The Protection Of Civil Rights Act, 1955 . The persons who put up this board can face imprisonment for 6 months. If people belonging to scheduled castes are involved, more serious sections will apply. pic.twitter.com/N8SLRAx7zz
— Ajai (@ajai_cs) January 12, 2022
What is wrong in it ? There are service lift available specifically for maids , in this corona time precaution is best measure
— Engineer_sahab (@swapnil_surana) January 13, 2022
Many apartments have main lift and a service lift. Doesn't it clearly state don't use main lift? We can outrage perhaps if there is no service lift and domestic help have to climb 10s of storeys. Can you confirm if there was no alternative arrangement?
— Salil Akolkar (@salil2k) January 12, 2022
Why discriminate? Why can't they use the main lift? These same maids cook, clean & serve you food too, don't they?
— Rohini Bhowmick (@RohiniBhowmick) January 12, 2022
This has been going on way before covid unfortunately. Some residents along with me helped change that in the condominium I was staying at in Gurgaon, thankfully.
'covid times'
— Inani اِنانی (@Inani_yes) January 12, 2022
there is no such mention in the notice
Service lift is for luggage, garbage etc.
May god give you sadbuddhi (sense) to understand this@AksShivam
People entering the main lift are all 100% clean ? They can’t enter it without taking a shower ? They enter it after taking a rapid antigen test ?
— unnamed (@theunnamedtweet) January 12, 2022
But there is nothing forward looking in these tech groups except they use modern tech and have degrees from fancy places. All arr rooted in ancient mud, full of communal hate, casteism.
— ganbhag (@gliosol) January 13, 2022
