Labourer denied lift access, made to carry heavy load up stairs to 21st floor

A video showed a labourer carrying two concrete blocks up 21 floors while four lifts remained off-limits. The footage triggered criticism over labourers' treatment, dignity and alleged exploitation.Labourer denied lift access, made to carry heavy load up stairs to 21st floor (Photos: @RockstarAmit/X)New Delhi,Oct 31, 2026 09:48 ISTA labourer was seen carrying heavy concrete blocks on his head as he climbed the stairs all the way to the 21st floor of a building, despite four functional lifts being available on the premises.The video was originally shared by Instagram user Dimps, although the post could no longer be found on his profile. It showed a construction worker slowly making his way up a flight of stairs with two concrete blocks balanced on his head.The exhausting climb appeared to stretch across several floors, with the worker having to make the journey on foot.While recording the scene, Dimps pointed out that the building had four lifts, but the labourers were not permitted to use them to carry goods upstairs. "Look, this building has four lifts, and these workers are not allowed to use the lift in order to carry the goods upstairs," he said. He then drew attention to the labourer's long climb, saying, "The poor workers are climbing the stairs all the way to the 21st floor." Dimps also showed the lifts, which appeared to be functional, before questioning the arrangement."This is how our country will progress. They have four lifts, the poor have no access to these things," he remarked. The video was later reshared by X user Amit Singh, who criticised the building's apparent restriction on workers using the lifts. In his caption, he wrote that the worker was being made to carry heavy loads all the way to the 21st floor despite four lifts being available, adding that they were reserved strictly for residents.He described the arrangement as a "Pure lack of basic humanity."Watch the video here:This worker is forced to carry heavy loads all the way up to the 21st floor, despite the building having 4 lifts reserved strictly for "residents only" Pure lack of basic humanity. https://t.co/Bx5RRe48tp— Amit Singh (@RockstarAmit) October 29, 2026The clip received sharp criticism from social media users, many of whom were angered by the contrast between the building's facilities and the conditions in which the workers were expected to operate.Some felt that denying labourers access to the lifts, while making them carry heavy construction material up 21 floors, reflected a disturbing disregard for their dignity and well-being.One user went as far as to compare the treatment to slavery, questioning what centuries of civilisation had taught people if they continued to exploit fellow human beings. Another expressed disbelief that a building with four lifts could still require a worker to haul heavy loads up so many flights of stairs.Others were equally scathing about the apparent distinction being made between residents and the people working to build the property. They argued that the workers deserved basic consideration and humane working conditions, pointing out the irony of a luxury building's facilities being inaccessible to the very people contributing to its construction.- Ends