Safety threat from pranksters at Hyderabad's Saket Towers

In a spree of uncontrolled fun-seeking, they pressed buttons for all 25 floors before leaving the heavy-duty lift. The incident triggered heated exchanges first and then created internal community tensions at Saket Towers, the first high-rise residential complex in twin cities. It's not uncommon for some to play with common property for amusement. But such little acts of vandalism raise concerns over safety at a high-rise building like Saket. As such wanton vandalism is going on despite cautionary warnings, the Saket residents' association has initiated stringent measures, members said.

Recently, the Saket Sriyam Flat Owners Association (SSFOA) made a written complaint to the Jawahar Nagar Police Station that outsiders damaged their common property and sought action against them. They shared a video in which some persons were seen playing with the lift and pressing the lift buttons for all 25 floors before leaving it on the ground floor. The Saket association has expressed concern that any minor damage to lifts and electricity may lead to major harm to the residents because theirs is a high-rise residential complex with nearly 500 families living in it. Wanton damage to lifts, CCTV cameras and obscene graffiti is proving a major challenge, the members said.

When action is taken against the guilty, instead of resolving these civil issues amicably, some members are complicating the matters further. The SSFOA has formed WhatsApp groups to resolve any problems of residents regarding maintenance, housekeeping, security, electricity, water supply and lifts. They have appealed to use these groups for peaceful resolution of their grievances.