The Delhi airport roof collapse, which killed one and injured eight others was a “very serious incident” and the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will look into the matter thoroughly, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said after inspecting the collapsed structure.
“I want to clarify that the building inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi is on the other side and the building that collapsed here is an old building and was opened in 2009,” the Union Minister said.
The minister’s clarification came in response to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s claims that the affected terminal was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Corruption and criminal negligence is responsible for the collapse of shoddy infrastructure falling like a deck of cards, in the past 10 years of the Modi government,” Kharge wrote in a post on X (formally Twitter). “On March 10, when Modi ji inaugurated the Delhi Ariport T1, he called himself"Doosri mitti ka insaan... Our heartfelt condolences to the victims of the Delhi airport tragedy. They bore the brunt of a Corrupt, Inept and Selfish Govt,” read his post.
He also listed other alleged instances of “shoddy infrastructure” under PM Modi in his post.
Other opposition leaders also slammed PM Modi over the roof collapse incident. The Opposition leaders accused Modi of “hurriedly inaugurating” an “incomplete terminal” to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “On March 11, 2024, as part of his election campaign, if I recall during his inauguration spree”.
National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah took a dig at PM Modi’s inauguration of the expanded Terminal 1 of Delhi airport, saying it was “incomplete”.
Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale alleged that PM Modi “hurriedly inaugurated” the expanded Terminal 1 for election campaigning.
“Why shouldn’t PM Modi be charged with culpable homicide? He’s directly responsible for the death of three people who lost their lives because Modi was desperate to campaign,” he tweeted.
On March 10, PM Modi inaugurated or laid the foundation stone of 15 airport projects across the country which are worth more than Rs 9,800 crore. Among these projects, the expanded Terminal 1 of Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi was inaugurated.
Meanwhile, the Union civil minister also said that a country-wide audit of such structures at airports will be done. "A safety audit is being done and T1 is completely cleared right now due to safety concerns. Operations are likely to be reinstated tomorrow morning after the safety audit clearance," the civil aviation minister added.
“We express our condolences to the life that has been lost in this tragic incident. We immediately sent the emergency response team, the fire safety team and also the CISF and NDRF teams. Everyone was available at the site, and they have done thorough inspection so that no other casualties are there,” the minister further said.
Kinjarapu also announced compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the deceased and Rs 3 lakh for the injured in response to the Delhi airport incident.
The canopy and a huge metal beam at the pick-up and drop area outside Delhi airport’s terminal 1 collapsed this morning, amid heavy rainfall.
Government sources said the construction of the affected roof was contracted out by GMR Airports Limited to private contractors.
The incident took place as Delhi recorded 228.1 mm of rain in the past 24 hours in one of the wettest spells the capital has recorded in June. Several areas of the national capital were waterlogged, which affected normal life and traffic movement was thrown out of order with visuals showing submerged vehicles under various flyovers.