DELHI-NCR SOCIETY ELEVATORS: THE GREAT CLASS DIVIDE

RWAs in NCR housing societies are in the spotlight for restricting delivery guys and house helps from using the same elevators

- Medha Shri Dahiya

Recently, a user on Reddit shared how he fought with his housing society's RWA (Resident Welfare Association) to allow domestic helpers to use the residents’ lift instead of restricting them to the service lift. But barely a week later, he admitted to regretting his stand, citing “pan stains” and trash left behind in the elevator.

On the same post, a user commented that the fight was meaningless because they were getting a lift and not being forced to use the stairs.

It's a recurring debate across NCR's and maybe India’s gated communities, where RWA rules quietly dictate that domestic workers, delivery executives, gig workers and dog walkers must use the service lift and not the main ones. The sleek, air-conditioned passenger lifts are often reserved for those who have “paid crores” for their condos and hefty monthly maintenance fees. What began as a “management decision” has now spiralled into a moral and social debate, one that oscillates between convenience, safety, civility and class, rarely finding common ground.

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