News Mania Desk/ Agnibeena Ghosh/30th June 2024
In response to the recent roof collapse incident at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal-1, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu has announced proactive measures to prevent future occurrences. A structural preliminary inspection will be conducted at all airports across India.
Naidu emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that reports from all airports are expected within 2-5 days. Based on these reports, necessary measures will be taken to ensure such incidents are not repeated. “Since we don’t want such incidents to be repeated, we will ensure getting a structural preliminary inspection done at all airports. We have sought a report from all the airports across the country within 2-5 days, upon which we will see what necessary measures are needed to be taken to prevent such incidents in the future,” Naidu said.
The tragic incident at Delhi Airport resulted in the death of a 45-year-old cab driver and injuries to eight others. The minister expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased and assured that the injured are receiving medical treatment.
In addition to structural inspections, the ministry is taking immediate steps to assist affected passengers. A war room has been set up to facilitate refunds or alternate flights for those whose journeys were disrupted. “For now, Terminal-1 is completely closed and evacuated. All the flight movements have been shifted to Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. For those people whose flights have been canceled, they are being given either a refund or an alternate flight. The Civil Aviation Ministry has decided to pass a circular to provide refunds to the people within seven days,” Naidu explained.
To manage the situation effectively, war rooms have been established at Terminals 2 and 3, staffed with officers to ensure smooth handling of passenger concerns. The ministry has also issued a circular to airlines, instructing them not to increase ticket prices during this period. “When such incidents occur, there is an increase in air fares, so we have issued another circular to airlines on not increasing the fare of the tickets and maintaining the prices,” Naidu added.
Naidu also criticized the opposition for politicizing the incident by spreading false information. He clarified that the collapsed roof was part of an old building inaugurated in 2009, not a structure recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi. “I am a little surprised that the opposition wants to do politics on this kind of issue by saying this is a terminal inaugurated by PM Modi but it is fake news they are spreading. PM Modi inaugurated a building in another terminal and it is intact. The roof of the building that collapsed is an old building inaugurated in 2009. It is a 15-year-old building…using this situation to take a dig at the govt is not a good precedent,” he stated.
The collapse has led to the indefinite suspension of operations at Terminal 1, which handles approximately 200 flights daily. The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) reported that the collapse occurred at around 5 a.m. due to suspected heavy rainfall and strong winds. A technical committee has been formed to investigate the cause of the incident.
In a bid to provide immediate relief, the ministry has announced compensation of ₹20 lakh to the family of the deceased and ₹3 lakh each to those who sustained minor injuries. The police have also registered a case on charges of causing death by negligence.
As the investigation proceeds, these measures reflect the ministry’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of passengers across the nation’s airports.
